Department for Transport

Spaceflight

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on the consultation on the UK's first space port; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I refer my Hon Friend to my answer of 8 March, UIN 28858 (http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=28858).

Bridges: Gressingham

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the progress of repairs to the Loyn Bridge in Gressingham in the Lune Valley in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency.

Andrew Jones: Progress in respect to the repairs to the Loyn Bridge following damage caused by the winter storms is entirely a matter for Lancashire County Council as local highway authority. The Department for Transport ‎has provided £5 million funding to the Council and they will undertake repairs to the bridge as soon as practicable.

Roads: Devon

Mr Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many casualties were recorded in road traffic accidents in (a) Torridge and West Devon constituency and (b) Devon in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Andrew Jones: The number of casualties in road traffic accidents reported to the police in (a) Torridge and West Devon constituency and (b) Devon for the last three years are as follows:  201220132014  KilledSeriousSlightTotalKilledSeriousSlightTotalKilledSeriousSlightTotalTorridge & West Devon - Parliamentary Constituency539249293346307356144267312Devon County Council342742,2662,574162942,0942,404233162,0882,427Plymouth City Council655675736163766830382707792Torbay Council336365404251311364142320363Statistics for 2015 will be available in June 2016.

Roads: Torridge and West Devon

Mr Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the standard and level of maintenance of roads in Torridge and West Devon constituency; and what steps his Department has taken to improve the maintenance of those roads.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport regularly publishes Official Statistics on the proportion of roads where maintenance ‘should be considered’ in England. The smallest administrative area this information is published for is the local highway authority area. Devon County Council is the local highway authority for the constituency of Torridge and West Devon, but the Devon County Council area covers in whole or part 8 other constituencies. For Devon County Council we are providing £42.3 million this financial year (2015/16). Road maintenance is a matter for individual local highway authorities, such as Devon County Council, and it is for them to prioritise work according to local need.

Bus Services: Compensation

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward proposals to give bus and coach passengers statutory rights to compensation for delays in their bus or coach service.

Andrew Jones: Bus and coach passengers already have statutory rights under the services provisions of the Consumer Rights Act 2015. If the bus or coach service is not provided with reasonable care and skill or in line with certain information the transport operator has given about it then the passenger may be due compensation, including compensation for delays and cancellations.

Bus Services

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what changes his Department has made to the collection of data on bus fares and punctuality since 2010.

Andrew Jones: The department operates two surveys to collect data on bus fares and bus punctuality. Bus fares information is collected from bus operators every quarter and bus punctuality is collected from local authorities every year, both via online surveys. In 2012 and 2015 the sample of operators from whom the Department collected data on bus fares was revised.  For the 2012/13 bus punctuality data collection the following voluntary questions were added to the survey:Do you continue to collect/record data on bus patronage in your area?If yes, can you please enter the number of passenger journeys on local bus services?Please indicate if you are able to share figures for individual operators with DfT (solely for use in validation of figures we collect directly from operators)If possible, please provide a contact name/email for any queries on the patronage data and any relevant notes in the box below (for example, if figures are not yet available but will be later)The Department is also interested in learning more about the number of passengers carried on flexible or demand responsive modes of transport, including community transport. If you are able to supply any information on these for your area (such as number of passengers, nature of service) please enter brief details below

Bus Services: Fares

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether provisions in the Buses Bill will seek to require bus operators to publish data on fares.

Andrew Jones: The Bill will include powers to require the release of open data on routes, timetables, punctuality and fares, in a specified format.

Bus Services: Fares

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on trends in the prices of bus fares since 2010.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport publishes an index of local bus fares every quarter. The data are available in table BUS0415 at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/387116/bus0415.xls. Table BUS0415b shows that in England from September 2005 to September 2010 the average real terms fare rise was 2.1% per year, and from September 2010 to September 2015 the average real terms fare rise was 1.5% per year.

M6

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of trunking the new M6 link road from junction 34.

Andrew Jones: The M6 link road to Heysham is a local road that has been funded by Government to complete the connection from the Heysham and Morecambe peninsula to Junction 34 of the M6. Neither the local authority nor the Department has raised the issue of trunking the road.

Railways: Franchises

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for which future franchises his Department plans to specify driver-only operation.

Claire Perry: Staffing levels are generally a matter for railway operators, as we believe that they are best placed to determine how to meet the needs of their passengers. However, the Department may consider on a case-by-case basis whether, exceptionally, to invite proposals involving driver-only or driver-controlled operation when it holds competitions for future franchises.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on passenger revenues of an extension of driver-only operation on services operated by Govia Thameslink Railways Ltd.

Claire Perry: No assessment has been made of the potential effect on passenger revenues of an extension of driver-only operation on services operated by Govia Thameslink Railway.

Railways

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of the rail network that will be driver-only operated by (a) 2020 and (b) 2025.

Claire Perry: Staffing levels are generally a matter for railway operators, as we believe that they are best placed to determine how to meet the needs of their passengers. Therefore, no such estimate has been made.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on passenger safety and security of (a) the extension of driver-only operation on rail services operated by Govia Thameslink Railways Ltd and (b) the closure of ticket offices serving those services.

Claire Perry: The safety of passengers and rail users is paramount on the railway and the Department for Transport would never do anything to put passengers at risk.Driver-only operation is already in safe use on almost a third of rail services in Great Britain and has been for up to 30 years and we think that it can help to improve the service to passengers. By giving responsibility to the driver to operate the doors, the other staff on board the train could provide a better face-to-face service for passengers. Whilst we regulate Ticket Office opening times through the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement station staffing levels are a matter for operators, as we believe that railway operators themselves are best placed to determine how to meet the needs of their passengers. However, it is important that those who need assistance to travel can rely on railway staff to provide this. Each operator is required to participate in the Passenger Assist system which allows disabled passengers to book staff assistance when they require it. We recognise that passengers can feel very strongly about station staffing hours and we expect all operators to take on board the views of stakeholders before taking any proposal to change such hours forward.

Department for Transport: Fringe Benefits

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2016 to Question 26826, what the job titles are of those people in receipt of travel expenses, car allowance or subsidised health insurance.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department cannot provide the job titles of those people in receipt of travel expenses, car allowances or subsidised health insurance as this would lead to the individuals being identified.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with Govia Thameslink Railways Ltd on closure or reduction in hours of ticket offices.

Claire Perry: Representatives from Govia Thameslink Railway briefed officials at the Department for Transport on their plans to carry out a consultation on proposals to change ticket office opening hours at some stations.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with Govia Thameslink Railways Ltd on extending driver-only operation on its services.

Claire Perry: Govia Thameslink Railway have made officials aware of the intention to engage with staff and their representatives regarding future plans for Driver Only Operation on some services.

A601M: A590

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any recent assessment has been made of proposals to extend the connection of junction 35 (A601M) Carnforth on the M6 to the A590 in Cumbria.

Andrew Jones: Highways England has made no recent assessment of a proposal to extend the A601(M) to the A590.

M6

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of potential increases to the  port usage of Heysham after the new Heysham M6 link road is completed; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: None. As this is a local road and not part of the Strategic Road Network, the assessment was carried out by Lancashire County Council. However, the scheme will certainly improve access to the Port and improve accessibility for related local businesses.

West Coast Railway Line

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of increasing capacity on the West Coast Mainline after completion of the HS2 and related projects.

Claire Perry: Network Rail leads the long term planning process, which works with local authorities and operators to identify and consider future options for capacity improvement across the rail network as a whole. Network Rail studies are underway to consider future capacity on the West Coast Main Line, but no assessment has been made at this stage by the government. In due course, the government will consider the full range of options for capacity improvements on national rail that are identified by the industry processes. These industry options will feed into the Government’s decisions on Rail Investment Strategies for the periods 2019-2024 and beyond, taking into account the recommendations of the Hendy, Bowe and Shaw reports.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of potential cost savings from an extension of driver-only operation on Govia Thameslink Railways services.

Claire Perry: The potential cost savings from an extension of driver-only operation were included in Govia Thameslink Railway’s formal bid for the franchise. The Department assessed all bids for the franchise against the evaluation criteria in the Invitation to Tender which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/245041/invitation-to-tender.pdf.

Railways

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effects of the introduction of driver-only operation on rail services on (a) passenger safety, (b) passenger assurance, (c) women passengers, (d) disabled passengers, (e) revenue protection and (f) passenger assistance.

Claire Perry: The safety of passengers and rail users is paramount on the railway and the Department for Transport would never do anything to put passengers at risk.This system has already been in safe use on almost a third of rail services in Great Britain for up to 30 years and can help to improve the service to passengers. Giving responsibility to the driver to operate the doors can improve operational performance and can enable other staff on board the train to provide a better face-to-face service for passengers. Staffing levels are generally a matter for railway operators, as we believe that they are best placed to determine how to meet the needs of all passengers. However, it is important that those who need assistance to travel can rely on railway staff to provide this. Each operator is required to participate in the Passenger Assist system which allows disabled passengers to book staff assistance when they require it.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions (a) his Department and (b) the Office of Rail Regulation have had with Govia Thameslink Railways Ltd on changes to criteria for driver-only operation.

Claire Perry: Neither the Department for Transport nor the Office of Rail and Road have held any specific discussions with Govia Thameslink Railway on changes to criteria for driver-only operation.

Roads: North West

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the most recent cost estimate is for each of the road projects listed in the Government's announcement, Major roads investment in the North West, published on 1 December 2014, that have not yet been completed; and what the final costs were of any of those projects that have been completed.

Andrew Jones: For schemes that are Open for Traffic, the actual out-turn costs have been provided. Schemes that are in development or construction show the latest approved estimate. Scheme NameAnnouncedEstimated Cost (£m)Source of EstimateM60 J8 to M62J20:Smart Motorway2010228Under constructionA556 Knutsford to Bowdon2010191.9Under constructionM6 J16 to J192013223.3Under construction For the remaining schemes outlined in the 1 December 2014 announcement, the current costs are the cost category as quoted in the RIS Investment Plan, which can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/381496/roads-investment-strategy-summary-of-schemes.pdf There is currently no cost information for the Strategic Studies as they are in the very early stages of investigating options.

Railways: Land

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has issued guidance to public bodies on the sale of land containing disused rail lines.

Claire Perry: No such guidance has been issued.

Motorways

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2016 to Question 29383, how many (a) miles and (b) lane miles on which sections of the network Highways England plans to convert to Managed Motorways - All Lane Running (MM-ALR) status by the end of the current Road Investment Period; and how many (a) miles and (b) additional lane miles Highways England intends to convert to MM-ALR status in the next Round Investment Period.

Andrew Jones: The information requested is in the table below: All Lane Running Schemes - To be started but not finished by the end of the current Road Investment Period (2015 - 2020)Scheme NameScheme Length (miles)Additional lane milesOpen For Traffic CommitmentM4 J3-1231.863.62021/22M1 J13-1936.973.82021/22M6 J13-1517.434.82021/22M27 J4-1115.230.32020/21M56 J6-84.18.22021/22M3 J9-149.318.62021/22M62 J10-128.516.92022/23A1(M) Jct 6 - 87.515.0TBC *M1 Junctions 23A-241.53.0TBC *M25 Junctions 10-1619.338.5TBC *M40/M42 Interchange Smart Motorways7.710.4TBC *M53 Junctions 5-116.012.1TBC *M62 Junctions 20-2511.923.7TBC *Further All Lane Running Schemes Announced for Development in next Road Investment Period (2020 - 2025)Scheme NameScheme Length (miles)Additional lane milesOpen For Traffic CommitmentM1 Junctions 19-23A30.961.8TBC *M1 Junctions 35A-3913.727.4TBC *M42 Birmingham Box Phase 46.713.4TBC *TBC * = no Open For Traffic commitment currently exists.

Railways: Freight

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much Network Rail paid to buy back land from rail freight owners in October 2014.

Claire Perry: This was a commercial matter for Network Rail. The total cost to Network Rail of acquiring the lease interests of the Freight Operators under Project Mountfield was £220 million.

Railways: Land

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons Network Rail bought back rail lands in October 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: This decision was made by Network Rail, and I have sought clarification from the company as to the reasons. I am informed that the purchase was made to increase competition and efficiency across the freight industry, opening up the market to operators.

Railways: Land

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much money accrued to the public purse at the time of rail privatisation from land sold by British Rail to private freight companies.

Claire Perry: British Rail did not sell land directly to private freight companies but transferred land to the different freight entities within its own operations in advance of the sale of the freight business. It would no longer be possible at this point to extrapolate the land value from the company value.

Railways: Freight

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what land Network Rail is considering selling which can be utilised for rail freight .

Claire Perry: No decision has been taken about which sites owned by Network Rail should be sold. Network Rail is reviewing the complete freight land holdings and the options for the portfolio for the future to identify those sites which are surplus. This will include an assessment of which sites are required, or are likely to be required in the future, for freight use. A robust process of identifying options for the sale of rail freight sites is on-going but at a very early stage, and a full consultation process will be undertaken before any final decision is taken about the sale of freight sites owned by Network Rail.

Network Rail: Finance

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 67 of Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd's Regulatory Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2015, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of Network Rail's reduction in insurance cover on that company's finances.

Claire Perry: My Department has not made an assessment of the effect of this decision. It is for Network Rail to ensure the right approach to its insurance cover to provide value for money, in line with Managing Public Money guidance.

Network Rail: Finance

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 35 of Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd's Regulatory Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2015, what cash funding his Department has committed to the (a) Reading Station redevelopment and (b) Great Western Electrification Programme in order to reduce the amount being added to Network Rail's Regulatory Asset Base; and for what reasons that policy has been adopted.

Claire Perry: This transaction relates to funding commitments announced by the Government in Autumn 2014. These decisions were taken in order to make the most effective use of the department's resources in financial year 2014/15 and progress delivery for passengers. In accordance with Clause 2.4 of the Facility Agreement, the department provided Network Rail with a £155 million grant in exchange for a £125 million reduction in the Available Commitment of the Facility and £30.5 million worth of work to be brought forward into Control Period 5 - the time period covered by the Facility Agreement.

Railways: Tickets

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2016 to Question 29373, what his Department's outstanding contractual obligations are under the South East Flexible Ticketing programme.

Claire Perry: Contractual obligations under the SEFT programme are commercially sensitive.

A595

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason a feasibility study on improving the A595 was not included in the Northern Transport Strategy Spring 2016, published on 7 March 2016.

Andrew Jones: The Northern Transport Strategy Spring report did not make any announcements on new feasibility studies on the strategic road network (SRN), but reported on progress made on previously announced strategic studies for the northern trans-Pennine, M60 Manchester north-west quadrant and the trans-Pennine tunnel studies. Consideration of the need for improvements of any part of the SRN will be a matter for forthcoming work by the Department and Highways England Route strategies in coordination with Transport for the North when preparing the next Road Investment Strategy.

Horse Riding: Safety

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve safety for horses and riders on roads.

Andrew Jones: Rule 215 of The Highway code gives specific advice on approaching and overtaking horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles safely and with consideration. The theory test contains questions about how drivers should interact with horse riders and the hazard perception test includes a number of clips where horse riders are the hazard. The “Have Some Horse Sense on the road campaign was launched as part of the THINK! Road Safety Campaign and encouraged drivers to approach horses slowly and give them a wide berth when overtaking. This has been supplemented more recently by the THINK! Rural Roads campaign which reminds drivers to take particular care when driving along country roads.

Home Office

Social Networking: Radicalism

Steven Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with social media firms on countering radicalisation.

Mr John Hayes: Extremist and terrorist organisations, notably social media sites, are exploiting the internet to disseminate propaganda and recruit individuals to their groups or to support their aims. Some vulnerable individuals, including young people are being misled by this damaging propaganda.We are working closely with responsible internet and social media companies to take robust action against terrorist and extremist material and safeguard users. Since 2010 over 140,000 pieces of terrorist-related material have been removed by industry from various online platforms at the request of the dedicated police Counter-Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU). Approximately 58,000 removals were made in 2015 alone.

Asylum: Housing

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has made to consult stakeholders in advance on the (a) designation of reception zones and (b) determination of the criteria to be included in any order designating such zones in the UK.

James Brokenshire: Home Office appointed COMPASS contractors as providers of housing for asylum seekers with the ability to procure and supply housing in a manner that meets UK housing law. The COMPASS suppliers are required to consult local government formally to ensure relevant housing licensing requirements are met. UKVI officials have engaged with local government, through Strategic Migration Partnerships to devise suitable consultation protocols so that both parties are able to consider the most suitable locations for initial accommodation. In the circumstance that contingency options are deployed, the COMPASS provider is required to inform local dispersal authorities of the intended short term use of properties in their area, as initial accommodation facilities for asylum seekers, including in hotels.

Telecommunications

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to contribute to an international framework for the sharing of communications data; and if she will make a statement.

Mr John Hayes: The UK and United States Governments have begun considering a framework under which US-based communication service providers could disclose data directly for serious criminal and counter terrorism investigations, in response to a warrant requesting the content of communications, and with notices requiring the disclosure of communications data.This builds on the work of the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Intelligence and Law Enforcement Data Sharing; the recommendation of the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation; and the recommendations of the Joint Committee on the draft Investigatory Powers Bill, that the UK develop a framework for accessing data across jurisdictions.

Refugees: Syria

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate has she made of the number of vulnerable Syrians who have not sought refuge in refugee camps owing to concerns for their own safety; and whether the Government's Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Programme contains provisions to assist such people.

James Brokenshire: It is estimated that across the region, only 23% of Syrian refugees are in formal camps: the remaining 77% are living amongst host communities.The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) identifies and proposes Syrian refugees for the Vulnerable Person Relocation scheme from among the whole of the registered refugee population in the region, over 4 million people. This includes people in formal refugee camps, informal settlements and host communities. Therefore many of those coming to the UK for resettlement will not be coming from UN camps.We are working with UNHCR and other partners to intensify their outreach to groups that might otherwise be reluctant to register for fear of stigma/discrimination and unaware of the safe space and options available to them. This includes all religious minorities, LGBT, people with disabilities, survivors of torture and sexual violence and others.

Terrorism: Social Networking

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2016 to Question 28422, on terrorism: social networking, how many of the cases referred to in that Answer resulted in (a) prosecution and (b) conviction.

Mr John Hayes: Holding answer received on 10 March 2016



The Home Office can only obtain the data requested at disproportionate cost.

Asylum: Deportation

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2016 to Question 27388, how many refused asylum claimants have been forcibly removed to (a) Somalia, (b) Eritrea, (c) Afghanistan, (d) Iraq and (e) Iran.

James Brokenshire: The table below provides the total number of enforced removals of asylum cases, to Somalia, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran.Enforced removals of asylum cases from the UK to Somalia, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, 2015 (1)(2)(p)YearCountry of destinationTotal asylum enforced removals2015Afghanistan732015Eritrea02015Iran192015Iraq232015Somalia21(1) Removals are recorded on the system as at the dates on which the data extracts were taken.(2) Recorded on the system as having claimed asylum at some point.(p) Figures for 2015 are provisional and may subsequently differ when the tables are revised, due to data cleansing and data matching exercises that take place after the extracts are taken. The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of persons removed or departed voluntarily from the UK within Immigration Statistics.The data on removals and voluntary departures by destination are available in the latest release, Immigration Statistics: October to December 2015, table rv.06 from GOV.UK on the statistics web pages at:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release.

Refugees: Democratic Republic of Congo

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied children arrived in the UK from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2015.

James Brokenshire: The question has been interpreted as referring to unaccompanied asylum seeking children arriving in the UK.During 2015, there were 11 asylum applications from Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children, excluding dependants, received from nationals of the Democratic Republic of Congo.Figures on asylum applications for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) are published quarterly by the Home Office in the Immigration Statistics release.A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics October to December 2015, is available from:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2015

Immigration Controls: Luton Airport

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons only four of the 10 ePassport gates at Luton Airport were in operation between 7pm and 8pm on 26 February 2016.

James Brokenshire: The numbers of ePassport gates in use is an operational decision for Border Force and are flexed according to need. On the evening in question, there was a high proportion of arriving passengers using ID cards who were ineligible to use the gates. Officers were therefore redeployed to the manual immigration desks to assist with the majority of passengers requiring manual checks.Waiting times between 19.00 and 20.00 were within agreed service level agreements, with queue measurements for passengers at the ePassport gates being no more than 8 minutes and those at the manual control being no more than 21 minutes.

Human Trafficking

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on individuals or groups involved in smuggling people from mainland Europe to the UK; and what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who are engaged in such activities.

James Brokenshire: Europol holds intelligence on more than 40,000 individuals suspected of being involved in migrant smuggling. It would not be appropriate to comment further on ongoing UK operational activity to investigate groups and individuals engaged in smuggling people to the UK from mainland Europe. We will relentlessly pursue those who are engaged in people smuggling. Between 1st April 2015 and 8 March 2016, Immigration Enforcement has achieved 132 disruptions against criminals involved in organised immigration crime.Last summer, the Prime Minister announced the creation of the Organised Immigration Crime Taskforce bringing together officers from the National Crime Agency, Border Force, Immigration Enforcement and the Crown Prosecution Service to exploit every opportunity at source, in transit countries and in Europe to identify and tackle organised crime groups criminal operations. The Taskforce funding was subsequently expanded in November 2015 to increase resources to 100 dedicated officers until 2020.

Asylum: Families

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that refugees arriving in other EU member-states who have family in the UK are identified and supported in being reunited with their relatives.

James Brokenshire: All migrants arriving in other EU Member States who wish to seek asylum should do so in those States and provide information to the asylum authorities about any family members in the UK or other Member States so that the family unity provisions in the Dublin Regulation can be applied.We are providing further resources to the European Asylum Support Office, including help in border “hotspots” in Greece and Italy, to identify and register asylum applicants, including children at risk on first arrival in the EU.We will consider any request made to us by other Member States to take responsibility for asylum applicants because they have close family who are legally in the UK in accordance with the terms of the Dublin Regulation.If not claiming asylum, individuals outside the UK are entitled to apply under the Immigration Rules to join relatives in the UK by making the appropriate visa application.

Refugees: Greece

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on the use of teargas against refugees and migrants at the Macedonian border.

James Brokenshire: We continue to work closely with our European partners to address all aspects of the current migration situation as it continues to develop, including regular bilateral and multilateral discussions. There have been no specific discussions on the use of tear gas.Public order is a matter for national governments and we expect all our international partners to ensure that migrants’ human rights are fully respected.We are clear that protection in the region of origin is often the best solution, including for refugees, and that those reaching the EU should claim asylum in the first Member State they enter (as per EU rules) rather than seeking to travel further across Europe to their destination of choice.

UK Border Force: Patrol Craft

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many patrols of UK waters have been conducted by Border Force Cutters in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 10 March 2016



Border Force does not record individual vessel patrols as a measure of productivity, as this does not represent the full activity of a Border Force vessel. The Border Force vessels operate 365 days per year and in accordance with the vessel capability in force at the time. Deployments include:- being at sea;- being at 30 minutes notice for sea;.- law enforcement work whilst in port, e.g. rummage of moored vessels; road deployments to remote wharfs and marinasIt is not in the public interest for Border Force to disclose vessel working patterns further, as this is likely to compromise border security.

Offences against Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of child abuse flagged by sexual offences have been investigated in each police force area in each of the last three years.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office does not collect data on the number of cases of sexual offences flagged as child abuse that have been investigated.The Home Office collects information on the number of crimes the police in England and Wales record and the outcomes they assign to these crimes. The Home Office is clear that all crimes reported to the police should be taken seriously, investigated and, where appropriate, taken through the courts and met with tough sentences.From the data the Home Office receives, information can only be provided for certain sexual offences that identify that the victim is aged under 18 by the name of the offence in statute, namely: Rape of a female child under 16 Rape of a female child under 13 Rape of a male child under 16 Rape of a male child under 13 Sexual assault on a female child under 13 Sexual assault on a male child under 13 Sexual activity involving a child under 13 Sexual activity involving child under 16 Sexual grooming (the victim must be under 16) Abuse of position of trust in a sexual nature (under 17) Abuse of children through sexual exploitationData for these offences by police force area are available in the police recorded crime and outcomes open data available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables

Human Trafficking: Lancashire

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many warrants for the purposes of establishing whether women are being trafficked have been excluded by her Department in each local authority in Lancashire in each month in 2015.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office does not hold this information centrally.

Asylum: EU Law

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many take charge requests under the Dublin III Regulation the UK has accepted from France for unaccompanied children for family reunification in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: EU Law

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many take charge requests under the Dublin III Regulation the UK has accepted from Greece for unaccompanied children for family reunification the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Naturalisation

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current average waiting time is for a decision on a naturalisation application in (a) the UK and (b) Leeds.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Passports

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in which local authority areas applications can be made for naturalisation and a British passport at the same time.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: EU Law

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many take charge requests under the Dublin III Regulation protocols she has agreed to in relation to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in France with either parents or alleged parents in the UK in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: EU Law

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Dublin III Regulation asylum process; what her proposals are for its reform and improvement; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: EU Law

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many take charge requests under the Dublin III Regulation the UK has received from other EU member states for family reunification in the (a) unaccompanied minors, (b) family members, (c) dependent persons and (d) discretionary categories in the last 12 months; and how many such requests have been (i) approved, (ii) refused and (iii) remain under consideration.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Crimes of Violence: Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many instances of violence against women were recorded in (a) Cardiff and (b) Vale of Glamorgan in each of the last 24 months.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Visas

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugees have (a) applied for and (b) been successful in obtaining a visa to enter the UK from the Republic of Ireland in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Passports: Republic of Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport applications from residents of the Republic of Ireland were processed through the Belfast Passport Office between 31 March 2014 and 31 March 2015.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Deportation: Vietnam

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many removals of former, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to Vietnam in the last three years were for offences relating to (a) drugs, (b) prostitution and (c) people trafficking.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Deportation: Vietnam

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many former, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children who were removed to Vietnam in the last three years were also classified as foreign national prisoners.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Deportation: Vietnam

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many former, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children were removed to Vietnam in each year between 2007 and 2015.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Police: Complaints

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the time taken by the Independent Police Complaints Commission to resolve complaints.

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what average time was taken by the Independent Police Complaints Commission to complete its complaints process in each year since 2005.

Mike Penning: Home Office officials work closely with the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to monitor how they are delivering their objectives. The IPCC provide regular performance information to the Home Office, including information on the timeliness of completed cases, which are scrutinised closely by my officials as part of the business and corporate planning process. The Home office is working with the IPCC to develop appropriate performance measures for 2016-17, including more streamlined public access to IPCC timeliness information.On 7 March, the Home Secretary announced plans to reform the IPCC’s Governance, to make it more effective and more responsive to the public. These plans were published on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reforming-the-independent-police-complaints-commission-structure-and-governance We continue to provide additional funding to support the IPCC to expand to deliver an increased volume of timely, high quality investigations. I will ask the IPCC to write to the Honourable Member in response to the request for average times to complete the complaints process, and will ask for this response to be made available in the House Library.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Oil: Origin Marking

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to require all oil products sold in the UK to carry a Certificate of Origin to ensure that they do not come from Daesh-controlled areas.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: There is no evidence of oil products originating from Daesh-controlled areas reaching the UK market. The majority of Daesh’s oil is refined and sold within the territory it controls with the rest being sold in other parts of Syria and Iraq, including to the Asad regime, and smaller amounts being smuggled onto the regional black market. By halting and reversing Daesh’s territorial advance, Global Coalition military action has squeezed Daesh’s revenue sources. Our targeting of Daesh’s oil facilities has reduced its production capability by 25%, which equates to approximately 10% of their total income.In parallel to this military assault on Daesh’s oil facilities, the UK has led efforts to create and enforce an international sanctions regime to cut Daesh off from trading with international markets, including in oil products. This regime is underpinned by UN Security Council Resolutions 2178, 2199, 1267 and 2253. We work closely with our regional partners to ensure these sanctions are fully implemented. We also work closely with the oil industry in the UK, and further afield, to prevent Daesh procuring the equipment and fuel additives it needs to keep its oil production going.

Pakistan: Blasphemy

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he will make representations to the government of Pakistan on its blasphemy laws and the potential for the death penalty to be imposed for breach of those laws.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: UK Ministers regularly raise the blasphemy laws, which have been misused against both Muslims and others, with the authorities in Pakistan. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) and the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) have discussed human rights concerns, including blasphemy laws, with Prime Minister Sharif.I raised our concerns directly with the Pakistani High Commissioner in London. As a priority, I encourage the Government of Pakistan to reduce the number of offences attracting the death penalty, which currently includes blasphemy, and to abide by its international obligations. The Foreign Secretary reiterated UK opposition to the death penalty during his visit to Pakistan this week.

Honours

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many people of each (a) ethnicity, (b) religion and (c) occupation have received an honorary knighthood in each of the last 10 years.

James Duddridge: The following table provides the available information on all recipients of an honorary knighthood in each of the last ten years, including the range of their occupations and their nationalities.Nominators are given the opportunity to provide information on ethnicity of the person they are nominating, but rarely do. Information on the religion of honours nominees or recipients is not collected.[See attachment]



Honorary Knighthood
(Word Document, 18.31 KB)

Muhammad Ali: Honours

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Honours Committee has made of the potential merits of granting an honorary knighthood to Muhammad Ali.

James Duddridge: Honours nominations are treated on a confidential basis to maintain the integrity of the honours system and the privacy of the individuals nominated. Honours Committees and Secretariats therefore do not comment on nominations. Anyone can nominate someone for an honour. Nominations are considered twice a year by a series of honours committees which consist of independent and official members.

Crimes against Humanity

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will now consider acknowledging mass atrocity prevention or the prevention of identity-based mass violence to be a matter of national interest and a national priority.

James Duddridge: The UK continues to be strongly committed to early and effective international action to prevent mass atrocities. The National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 underlined the importance the Government attaches to upholding international humanitarian law and to the prevention of mass atrocities through effective implementation of the UN agreed principle of the Responsibility to Protect.

Armed Conflict: Schools

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2016 to Question 26564, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that schools in conflict zones are protected from being attacked or occupied for military purposes.

James Duddridge: The UK is committed to the proper implementation of International Humanitarian Law. We comply fully with our obligations under it, including rules prohibiting civilian objects from being attacked. The UK also works closely with other states and the Red Cross Movement to promote compliance with International Humanitarian Law. We urge all states and non-state actors engaged in armed conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law and to act in accordance with their obligations under it.

Middle East: Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2016 to Question 25979, what financial assistance was provided to each of the (a) 10 Israeli non-governmental organisations (NGOs) receiving funding from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund and (b) two NGOs receiving funds through the Bilateral Programme Budgets.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Holding answer received on 10 March 2016



The current funding for the ten NGO projects provided through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund is: The Peres Centre for Peace - £0.046m; Injaz - Centre for Professional Arab Local Governance - £0.062m; Kids Creating Peace - £0.040m; Yesh Din - £0.2m; Gisha - £0.054m; Peace Now - £0.128m; Terrestrial Jerusalem - £0.052m; The International Peace and Cooperation Centre - £0.235m; Rabbis for Human Rights - £0.105m; and the Jerusalem Community Advocacy Network - £0.222mThe current funding for the two NGO projects provided through the Bilateral Programme Budget is: Burj Al Luqluq Youth Centre - £0.019m; and Silwan Youth Centre - £0.005m

Pitcairn Islands: Shipping

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will ensure that the new ship contract agreed for the Pitcairn Islands supply run will include best practice stipulations regarding biosecurity and waste disposal.

James Duddridge: The Pitcairn Island Government is currently in the process of tendering for a new freight and passenger service. We will stress to them the importance of the need for best practice for biosecurity and waste disposal.

Middle East: Islamic State

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2016 to Question 29560, what assessment he has made of trends in the number of active Daesh fighters in (a) Iraq, (b) Libya and (c) Syria in each of the last 24 months; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: As outlined in our response to PQ 29560 the latest available public figures on the number of Daesh fighters in Iraq and Syria come from the US. These put the number at approximately 19,000 – 25,000, compared to 20,000 – 31,000 fighters in 2014.Our current estimate for the number of Daesh fighters in Libya is between 3,000 – 6,000. We do not have earlier estimates from which we could extrapolate a trend. The vast majority of Daesh fighters in Libya are foreigners rather than Libyans. While some Daesh figures have called for foreign fighters to go to Libya rather than Iraq/Syria, we have not seen any evidence to suggest this has happened.

Islamic State: Yazidis

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of how many Yazidi civilians are held by Daesh forces in Iraq and Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We do not hold figures for the numbers of Yezidi civilians who are being held by Daesh forces. The situation is desperate for many communities within Syria and Iraq. We condemn in the strongest terms the targeting and persecution by Daesh of Yezidis, Christians, Muslims and all other communities.Ultimately, the best way of preventing future atrocities is to defeat Daesh and its violent ideology. That’s why the UK is playing a leading role in the Global Coalition of 66 countries and international organisations committed to tackling Daesh.We are also using our aid budget to alleviate the humanitarian suffering caused by Daesh and the wider conflict in Syria. The UK has now pledged a total of over £2.3 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. The funding is providing support, such as food, medical care and relief items, to over a million people including those targeted by Daesh. This includes life-saving maternal and child health-care, child protection services, and specialized support for those who have escaped Daesh’s terror.

Israel: Palestinians

Paul Scully: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received of rocket fire into Israel from Gaza.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Our Embassy in Tel Aviv and our Consulate General in Jerusalem give us regular updates on the current situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. These updates include reports on rockets being fired from the Gaza Strip into the sea; any rocket fire from Gaza into Israel; and any retaliatory Israeli air strikes on Gaza. However they do not keep a record of the numbers, but according to UN figures, in January 2016 a total of three rockets were fired into Israel by Gazan militant groups.

Diego Garcia: Military Bases

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he expects discussions to begin with the US government on extending the lease for the military base on Diego Garcia.

James Duddridge: We have been clear that we want to see US presence continue. No decisions have yet been made about whether and when to have discussions with the US about their continued presence on Diego Garcia.

Nigeria: Christianity

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Nigerian government on the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

James Duddridge: Religious freedom in Nigeria is protected by the Nigerian Constitution. Boko Haram seeks to undermine this constitutional provision by attacking all Nigerians who do not subscribe to its extremist views. It has committed atrocities against people of all faiths, including Christians and Muslims, with the majority of those killed having been Muslims. We regularly discuss with the Nigerian Government at the highest levels our concern about the threat Boko Haram poses to communities of different faiths and ethnicities. We will continue to work with the Nigerian Government, non-governmental organisations and civil society to improve the security situation and human rights for all in Nigeria.

Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

Members' Staff

Royston Smith: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what the (a) ethnicity and (b) gender is of each staff member employed by hon. Members.

Mr Charles Walker: As at 9 March 2016, 3,161 individuals were employed by MPs and paid through IPSA’s payroll. Of these, 1795 were female and 1366 were male.IPSA does not collect or hold data on the ethnicity of MPs’ staff.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Higher Education: Ethnic Groups

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government is taking to close the higher education attainment gap between BME students and other students.

Joseph Johnson: The Higher Education Green Paper sets out steps the Government plans to take to improve outcomes for students, including BME students. We have consulted on how the Teaching Excellence Framework will recognise the efforts that providers make to improve the access and experience of students from all backgrounds, and the importance of this to the overall student learning experience.Ministers have also asked Universities UK to establish an expert advisory group on social mobility and higher education to identify what more can be done to address this gap, and other issues concerning social mobility. The group will provide advice to the Minister.In addition, new guidance from Ministers to the Director of Fair Access (DfA), published on 11 February, asks the Director to continue to address gaps in outcomes, including those for BME groups, through Access Agreements agreed with universities.

Students: Loans

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of student loans provided by the Government are to students from other EU states; what proportion of those loans are repaid in full; and what the average amount repaid is of those loans.

Joseph Johnson: The Student Loans Company (SLC) administers student loans for each of the UK Government Administrations. Statistics covering English loans to EU domiciled borrowers are published annually by SLC in the Statistical First Release (SFR) ‘Student Loans in England’.http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment/england.aspxAt the end of the financial year 2014-15, the overall Higher Education English Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) loan balance stood at £64.7 billion. Of this, around 1.5% (£958 million) was held by EU domiciled borrowers.Information on the repayments of these loans in the format requested is not available. However, information on repayments made by EU domiciled borrowers who are liable to repay or making voluntary repayments, by cohort, can be found in tables 3B, 4B and 4C from the SFR ‘Student Loans in England’.

Work Experience

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the prevalence of the exploitation of unpaid trials in at-risk sectors.

Nick Boles: Entitlement to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) applies where someone meets the criteria of a worker. There is no legal or consistently-used definition of an internship and therefore no authoritative, single assessment of their prevalence, unpaid or otherwise. However, the Low Pay Commission 2015 Report on the National Minimum Wage sets out their findings from the evidence they have collated as well as research that they have commissioned to assess the prevalence of unpaid internships.The Government works to promote high-quality, paid internships through improved codes of practice, awareness campaigns and changes to the BIS-sponsored Graduate Talent Pool. We also continue to tackle exploitation. The Government invested over £13m in 2015/16 to ensure enforcement of the NMW and we continue to name and shame employers who break minimum wage law.

STEM Subjects: Females

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to secure the appropriate data to monitor the progress of programmes which encourage the uptake of STEM subjects and careers by girls.

Joseph Johnson: The Government funds a number of programmes which encourage the uptake of STEM subjects by girls. We monitor the progress of these programmes against their key performance indicators through regular reports, and by evaluating their impact.In 2014 the Government published for the first time data showing the proportion of girls and boys studying A levels in science and maths at each post-16 institution, and in 2016 time series data of students entered for mathematics and science A level subjects by number of subjects and gender. Both sets of data will continue to be published on an annual basis.

Trade Agreements: UK Membership of EU

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will publish any contingency plans his Department has made on trade agreements in the event of a UK exit from the EU.

Anna Soubry: At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government's position, as set out by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

Investment: Treaties

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations he has made to the negotiating bodies on ensuring the Government retains its ability to make public policy decisions in the public interest under investor state dispute settlement mechanisms.

Anna Soubry: The Government believes that investment protection treaties should not undermine the ability of states to make public policy decisions in the public interest. The European Union (EU) has competence to negotiate investment treaties on behalf of the EU and its Member States. The European Commission’s policy is that investment protection provisions should ensure a high level of protection for investors while fully preserving the right of governments to regulate and pursue legitimate public policy objectives, such as the protection of health, safety, or the environment, and has sought negotiating mandates from the Council of Ministers on this basis. The UK fully supports this approach, which has been adopted in recently negotiated Free Trade Agreements, such as the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

Labour Market: Information

Lucy Frazer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what restrictions there are on who is allowed to access LMI for All data; and what assessment his Department or the UK Commission for Employment and Skills has made of how that data is being used by third parties.

Nick Boles: There are no restrictions to accessing LMI for All.The data in LMI for All is made available via an Application Programming Interface (API) for use in websites and applications. Neither the Department nor the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) evaluates or assesses the impact of third party applications and websites although UKCES tracks the use of the LMI for All service by such websites and applications. A report containing detailed case studies focusing on specific applications is currently under preparation and will be published this year.

Iron and Steel

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department endorses the provisions outlined in the Charter for Sustainable British Steel, published on 16 January 2015.

Anna Soubry: We are supporting the sourcing of sustainable steel in our procurement guidance, which have been issued to all UK Government Departments. We were the first EU Member State to take advantage of new flexibilities which allow wider considerations, such as social impacts, job impacts and staff safety in procurement decisions, to be taken into account. This allows the true competitive value of UK steel to be recognised. No-one should be in any doubt that – across all of Government’s major procurements – we are working hard to make sure that wherever possible, British steel makers have the best chance of competing for, and winning, contracts.

UK Commission for Employment and Skills: Internet

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many webhits by visitors have been recorded accessing UKCES's (a) 2015, (b) 2014 and (c) 2013 Employer Survey.

Nick Boles: The results from UKCES surveys of employers are published across a number of pages owing to the range of outputs that can be produced from the surveys and the various user audiences. SurveyPeriodPage views for main report on gov.ukUnique views for main report on gov.uk(a) UK Employer Skills Survey 2015Jan 28th 2016 to 8th March 20165,9884,147(b) UK Employer Perspectives Survey 201413th Nov 2014 to 8th March 20168,4905,869(c) UK Employer Skills Survey 20131st Feb 2014 to 8th March 201620,22214,261

Labour Market: Information

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many organisations have accessed LMI research produced by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills since 2010.

Nick Boles: The Government has committed to open up data for public use wherever possible to maximise the utility of the data and the potential economic benefits they could offer. The nature of open data means we cannot say how many individual organisations have accessed UK Commission for Employment and Skills LMI research in total.

Labour Market: Information

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will ensure that the Employer Skills Survey and Employer Perspectives Survey will continue to be free to access.

Nick Boles: The survey reports that will be produced from future Employer Skills Surveys and Employer Perspectives Surveys will continue to be made publicly available through the gov.uk website. The data sets will continue to be made available through the data archive at the UK data service. There are no plans to charge for access to any outputs from either survey series in future.

Public Houses

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he expects to publish his Department's response to the consultation on the draft pubs code.

Anna Soubry: We are finalising analysis of the consultation responses and intend to publish a Government Response and final draft regulations for Parliamentary Scrutiny so the Pubs Code is introduced by May 26th 2016

Public Houses

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he expects to announce the appointment of the pubs code adjudicator.

Anna Soubry: I announced the appointment of Paul Newby as the new Pubs Code Adjudicator at Third Reading of the Enterprise Bill on 9th March 2016, Official Report, Vol 607 Col 386.

Universities: Staff

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what research has been undertaken by (a) the Government, (b) HEFCE, (c) the HE Academy and (d) other government-funded agencies on the relationship between levels of casualised, non-permanent university teaching staff and teaching quality.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universities: Zero Hours Contracts

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with Universities UK on the number of staff employed by UK universities on zero-hours contracts.

Nick Boles: None. Universities are self-governing, independent institutions and are responsible for taking decisions on issues such as their staffing and contracting arrangements.

Universities: Staff

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what research his Department or its funded agencies has carried out on the effect on academic careers of non-permanent teaching and research posts in UK universities.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

European Regional Development Fund

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much funding from the European Regional Development Fund is currently committed to projects in each region of the UK.

Anna Soubry: European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programmes for 2007-2013 have still to be formally closed by the European Commission. A list of projects in each region of England and the amount of funding awarded to each project under the 2007-2013 ERDF programmes can be found on GOV.UK at ‘2007 to 2013 ERDF programmes: achievements’. A list of projects in Scotland and the amount of funding awarded to each project under the 2007-2013 ERDF programmes can be found on the Scottish Government website under ‘Structural Funds 2007-2013’ for ‘Highlands & Islands Programmes’ and ‘Lowlands & Uplands Scotland Programmes’. A list of all projects in Wales and the amount of funding awarded to each under the 2007-2013 ERDF programmes can be found on the Welsh Government website under ‘Funding’, ‘European funds in Wales’, ‘Previous European Structural Funds programmes’, ‘Approved project database 2007-2013’. A list of projects in Northern Ireland and the amount of funding awarded to each project under the 2007-2013 ERDF programme can be found on www.eugrants-successes.org. Implementation of the 2014-2020 ERDF programmes is at an early stage. For the 2014-2020 period, England has an allocation of €3.6bn from the ERDF. This has been notionally allocated on the basis of Local Enterprise Partnership areas rather than regions. Information on the allocations to each Local Enterprise Partnership area, which include also the European Social Fund, can be found on GOV.UK. Information on the 2014-2020 ERDF programme in Scotland can be found on the Scottish Government website under ‘Structural Funds 2014-2020’, ‘Scotland’s 2014-2020 Programmes’. Information on the ERDF programme for 2014-2020 for Wales can be found on the Welsh Government website under ‘Funding’, ‘European funds in Wales’, ‘European Structural Funds 2014-2020’, ‘West, North Wales, and Valleys Programmes’ and ‘East Wales programmes’. Information on the 2014-2020 ERDF programme in Northern Ireland can be found on the Department of Finance & Personnel website of the Northern Ireland Executive at ‘Finance’, ‘Funding’, ‘EU Funding Allocations’, ‘EU allocations to NI (07-13 & 14—20).

Department for International Development

International Law

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will publish the memoranda of understanding between her Department and the Ministry of Defence on international humanitarian law.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID does not have a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Defence on International Humanitarian Law.

Mediterranean: International Law

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what guidance her Department has issued to the (a) Ministry of Defence and (b) Home Office on international humanitarian law on UK operations in the Mediterranean.

Mr Desmond Swayne: UK military forces operating in the Eastern Mediterranean are subject to rules of engagement which ensure compliance with international law. DFID does not in general issue guidance on international humanitarian law.

Department for Education

Children: Protection

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children are being supported under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 where their parents have no recourse to public funds.

Edward Timpson: Information on children supported under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 is published in the annual Children in Need Census statistical first release. This data collection does not identify the number of children supported where their parents have no recourse to public funds.Information in the form requested is therefore not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Schools: Radicalism

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff in state-funded schools have received Prevent awareness training.

Edward Timpson: It is important that school staff have the training they need to equip them to identify children at risk of being drawn into terrorism and to challenge extremist ideas. Individual schools are best placed to assess their training needs in the light of their assessment of the risk. The Department’s core statutory safeguarding guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education makes clear that, as a minimum, designated safeguarding leads in schools and colleges should be trained in Prevent. This is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2 To help raise awareness of Prevent and issues around radicalisation amongst front line staff, the Home Office is continuing to roll out freely available Workshops to Raise Awareness of Prevent (WRAP). There are a number of professionals, particularly in safeguarding roles, many of whom work within local authorities and the police, who are accredited WRAP facilitators. There has been a significant increase in the number of WRAP training sessions delivered since the end of 2014. The greatest volume of WRAP training has taken place in schools with a significant increase in numbers of staff trained. Over 32,000 staff within schools were WRAP trained in 2015. Home Office does not hold separate data on training in different types of schools or the frequency of Prevent training.

Schools: Admissions

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral contribution of 2 March 2016, Official Report, column 943, what the evidential basis is for the statement that there are 36,500 fewer pupils in overcrowded schools than in 2010.

Edward Timpson: I refer the Honourable member to my response to question 29204 submitted to Parliament on Friday 4 March 2016. The answer shows that the total number of primary and secondary pupils in excess of capacity has reduced by 47,513 between 2010 and 2014.

Psychiatry: Training

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the Government plans to publish the outcomes of the review of training for educational and clinical psychologists.

Edward Timpson: This review of clinical and educational psychology training arrangements has been agreed by myself and Ben Gummer, the Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Quality at the Department of Health. The report will be published in spring 2016.

Local Safeguarding Children Boards

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which Local Safeguarding Children's Boards have requested that a CPS representative join its board to date; and (a) how many and (b) which of those applications have been accepted.

Edward Timpson: Local authorities are responsible for establishing Local Safeguarding Children Boards in their area, and there are statutory requirements regarding membership.Information about the composition of LSCBs is set out in the 2004 Children Act and repeated in Working Together to Safeguarding Children 2015.

Offences against Children

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria her Department applied in selecting the areas for the campaign, Together we can tackle child abuse.

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost is of her Department's campaign, Together we can tackle child abuse.

Edward Timpson: This is the first ever nationwide campaign on this issue promoted by the Government. Its aim is to raise awareness amongst the public about abuse and neglect and how to report suspected instances. This is a nationwide campaign and we have been working with all local authorities to promote it. We have provided a toolkit of materials, which can be used across the country to support the campaign locally.This year, we ran a pilot, paid-for campaign in 33 local authorities in the West Midlands and Outer London where we have paid for out-of-home, digital and radio advertising. These areas were chosen because of their dense and diverse populations. The overall cost of the campaign has been up to £1m.

Children in Care: Mental Health Services

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2016 to Question 27312, what steps she has taken to reduce the proportion of children and young people entering the care system who have not had their Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire score submitted.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2016 to Question 27312, what proportion of children whose Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire score has suggested that there may be a problem have subsequently been assessed further.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education and Department of Health strengthened the statutory guidance Promoting the health and wellbeing of looked after children[1] in March 2015 to include information on how Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires (SDQs) should be used. The Department wrote to local authorities in 2014 and 2015 to remind them about the purpose and importance of SDQs. Ahead of this year’s data collection (published in September 2016), the Department will also write to Virtual School Heads and Independent Reviewing Officers about the use of SDQs for looked-after children. In addition we are considering how to utilise best practice from local authorities that have had consistently good return rates for SDQ scores in their annual children looked after data returns to the Department.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/promoting-the-health-and-wellbeing-of-looked-after-children--2

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2015 to Question 13645, whether she plans to include young people in her Department's direct consultation with stakeholders on PSHE and SRE.

Edward Timpson: The Department regularly speaks to a wide range of interested parties and will continue to do so regarding personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education and sex and relationship education (SRE), including those who represent the views of young people.The Secretary of State wrote to the ESC in February 2016 stating that the Department will continue to keep the status of PSHE in the curriculum under review. We will continue to work with headteachers, PSHE practitioners and other experts to identify further action the Government can take to ensure that all pupils receive high quality, appropriate PSHE and SRE.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to identify children who are eligible for free school meals under Pupil Premium funding who are unaware of their eligibility for that funding.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The provision of a free, nutritious meal and the additional funding that free school meal (FSM) pupils attract through the pupil premium means there is a very strong incentive for parents to register for FSM; and the vast majority do so.We know that schools and local authorities have worked hard to encourage all families to register for FSM and the Department has highlighted and disseminated best practice for other schools to use, including a model a registration form. This is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-school-meals-and-pupil-premium-registration-formThe Department is continuing to explore ways of increasing registration rates further.

Grammar Schools: Finance

Craig Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that there is no reduction in the funding of grammar schools as a result of recent changes to funding for pupils aged 16 to 19.

Mr Sam Gyimah: All providers of 16-19 education, including school sixth forms, sixth form colleges and general FE colleges, are funded according to a single national formula. We announced, as part of the Spending Review, that we will protect the national base rate of £4,000 per student for the duration of the parliament. From 2016/17 the large programme uplift will apply, which will give a funding uplift of 10 per cent for study programmes of four A levels and 20 per cent for five A levels, when at least a grade B in all subjects is gained. Equivalent uplifts will apply to the full level 3 International Baccalaureate and large TechBacc programmes.We set out full details of the funding rates for 16-19 institutions in 2016/17 in January and aim to provide further information on savings that will be required from 2017/18 as soon as possible. We have already announced that we will remove transitional formula protection funding over six years from 2016/17, ensuring sufficient lead-in time for institutions to manage this reduction.

Schools: Finance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the cost to school budgets of (a) pupil mobility, (b) staff turnover, (c) pupils not speaking English at home and (d) pupils with special educational needs.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We recently published our consultations on national funding formulae for schools and high needs funding. A national funding formula will put an end to currently unfair arrangements where children with the same needs attract different amounts of money simply because of where they live. We believe that the national funding formula should target funding to pupils who are likely to face additional barriers in realising their potential and are proposing to include additional needs factors including for English as an additional language. For pupils with special educational needs (SEN), we propose that mainstream schools should continue to be responsible for the first £6,000 of costs in respect of each of their pupils with SEN, and receive top-up funding from the local authority for costs in excess of £6,000. Local authorities reported that they will allocate £750m to primary and secondary schools in 2015-16 in the form of top-up funding for pupils with SEN.Under current local funding formulae, the total amount allocated to school budgets in relation to pupil mobility is £24m for 2015-16 and for English as an additional language, it is £267m. It is for school leaders to determine how best to use their full budget so that all pupils, including mobile pupils, pupils with English as an additional language and those with special educational needs, can reach their full potential.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the decision not to make personal, social, health and economic education statutory on the ability of schools to teach that subject.

Edward Timpson: This Government wants to provide all young people with a curriculum for life, which prepares them to succeed in modern Britain. High quality teaching of PSHE is central to this. The Secretary of State wrote to the ESC in February 2016 stating that the Department will continue to keep the status of PSHE in the curriculum under review. We have asked leading head teachers and practitioners to produce an action plan for improving PSHE. We will work with these experts to identify further action we can take to ensure that all pupils receive high quality, age appropriate PSHE and SRE.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners' Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of recalls to prison have been fixed term recalls in each of the last two years.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2015 to Question 15303, on reoffenders, how many (a) offenders had committed each of the listed offences and (b) offenders in each category were given a fixed term recall for committing a further offence.

Dominic Raab: I am unable to provide the data you have requested in Question 29034 within the timescales for this parliamentary question. I will write to you in due course with such data as officials can collate it from casework systems.Any offender who is believed to have committed further offences whilst on licence is liable to be arrested and charged and, if convicted, given a further sentence. If the offence is serious, they can be remanded into custody until trial. Offenders on licence who are charged with further offences are also liable to be recalled, potentially to serve the rest of their sentence in prison, as they will be in breach of the requirement of their licence to be of good behaviour. If the offender is assessed as not presenting a risk of harm to the public they can be assessed as suitable for a shorter, fixed term recall. Those who have been charged with serious sexual or violent offences will not be considered suitable for a fixed term recall.The table below provides the proportion of recalls in 2013 and 2014 and the proportion who received a fixed term recall. YearProportion of total recalls which were fixed term201442%201342%

Personal Injury

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government has taken to ensure independent verification for the evidence on which it has proposed changes to personal injury law and procedure.

Dominic Raab: The government received and analysed data from numerous sources prior to the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement. It will consult on the detail of the new reforms in due course and the consultation will be accompanied by an impact assessment.

Prisoners: Rehabilitation

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what funding his Department provides to academic research on new prisoner rehabilitation methods.

Andrew Selous: The Ministry of Justice and the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) are committed to developing the evidence base to support prisoner rehabilitation and prison reform. NOMS allocates an annual budget for research undertaken by external organisations. NOMS research reports, including those undertaken by external contractors, are published on the gov.uk website here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?keywords=&publication_filter_option=research-and-analysis&topics%5B%5D=all&departments%5B%5D=ministry-of-justice&official_document_status=all&world_locations%5B%5D=all

National Probation Service for England and Wales: Training

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff of the National Probation Service have completed Prevent awareness training.

Caroline Dinenage: Working to Raise Awareness of Prevent (WRAP) was developed by the Home Office in 2009. From 2009 to 2014 all probation staff in the former Probation Trusts were to be trained in WRAP. As part of the Government’s Transforming Rehabilitation programme, the National Probation Service (NPS) and Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) were formed on 1 June 2014, and 9,140 staff transferred from Probation Trusts to the National Probation Service. Since then, all new NPS staff have been receiving Prevent awareness training, and all existing NPS staff have been receiving refresher training. We are fully committed to ensuring that we have a properly trained workforce within the NPS. Prevent Awareness (WRAP) is one of a number of training programmes delivered to staff in the NPS to provide staff with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively manage offenders and protect the public.

Trials

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will conduct research on the potential effect on the cost of legal aid of encouraging early guilty pleas by defendants in serious criminal trial cases.

Mr Shailesh Vara: We currently have no plans to do so. It has long been the practice to encourage early guilty pleas by offering reductions in sentence, and this is governed by the guideline Reduction in Sentence for a Guilty Plea, first issued by the Sentencing Guidelines Council in 2005. The Sentencing Council (as it now is) last month published for consultation a revised guideline, the purpose of which is stated to be ‘to encourage those defendants who are aware of their guilt to enter a plea as early in the court process as possible’. Increasing the incidence of early guilty pleas would be expected to result in savings in legal aid, as well as in other benefits.

Offences against Children: Prosecutions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases of child abuse flagged by sexual offences have led to prosecutions in each police force area in each of the last three years.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases of child abuse flagged by sexual offences have led to convictions in each police force area in each of the last three years.

Mike Penning: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and found guilty at all courts of child sexual abuse offences, by police force area in England and Wales, from 2012 to 2014, can be viewed in the table at Annex A.Annex ADefendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts of child sexual abuse offences (1), England and Wales, 2012 to 2014 (2)(3) Police Force AreaOutcome201220132014London(4)Proceeded against483538513Found guilty212207226CumbriaProceeded against313648Found guilty181933LancashireProceeded against163205173Found guilty989789MerseysideProceeded against7588134Found guilty494558Greater ManchesterProceeded against246346298Found guilty168146146CheshireProceeded against718885Found guilty474744NorthumbriaProceeded against114144141Found guilty805174DurhamProceeded against536169Found guilty282927North YorkshireProceeded against507488Found guilty242944West YorkshireProceeded against135193306Found guilty94107139South YorkshireProceeded against80113131Found guilty334966HumbersideProceeded against100109121Found guilty625761ClevelandProceeded against646855Found guilty282727West MidlandsProceeded against188202262Found guilty10510496StaffordshireProceeded against629288Found guilty364546West MerciaProceeded against87115158Found guilty595769WarwickshireProceeded against313354Found guilty252025DerbyshireProceeded against816686Found guilty483846NottinghamshireProceeded against714678Found guilty393737LincolnshireProceeded against425449Found guilty303026LeicestershireProceeded against648486Found guilty354336NorthamptonshireProceeded against435670Found guilty313032CambridgeshireProceeded against426960Found guilty263837NorfolkProceeded against506987Found guilty414336SuffolkProceeded against394252Found guilty272828BedfordshireProceeded against253433Found guilty13920  HertfordshireProceeded against575971Found guilty403341EssexProceeded against5591123Found guilty403759Thames ValleyProceeded against130184230Found guilty7962124HampshireProceeded against169171152Found guilty827861SurreyProceeded against568159Found guilty303929KentProceeded against121115155Found guilty656868SussexProceeded against117127122Found guilty504268Devon and CornwallProceeded against9894131Found guilty586164Avon and SomersetProceeded against112139137Found guilty686368GloucestershireProceeded against263129Found guilty212520WiltshireProceeded against626861Found guilty322745DorsetProceeded against374744Found guilty221920North WalesProceeded against629581Found guilty305442GwentProceeded against616045Found guilty342132South WalesProceeded against100134123Found guilty466256Dyfed-PowysProceeded against323652Found guilty221923England and WalesProceeded against3,7854,5574,940Found guilty2,1752,1422,388 (1) Offences under SS1, 5 - 12, 15-19, 30 -41, 47-50 Sexual Offences Act 2003 (2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.(3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.(4) London includes both the Metropolitan and City of London Police force areas. No results were returned from City of London Police Force area from 1 January 2012 onwards, as City of London Local Justice area was merged into other reporting areas.Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.  Ref: PQ 30375 & 30376

Wills

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how he plans to assess the effectiveness of the recent campaign to encourage people to make a will.

Dominic Raab: My Department has evaluated the Choice not Chance campaign which ran in England and Wales during March 2015 with the aim of promoting the use of wills, lasting powers of attorney and organ donation. We consider the campaign was successful in promoting the making of wills. We were unable to obtain figures for wills made during the campaign but the campaign page on gov.uk received 3,515 views and 19 campaign tweets resulted in 1,268 “click throughs” for more information. Further, the question of making a will is often considered at the same time as the question of making a lasting power of attorney. During the campaign 35,525 lasting powers were made (a 42% increase over the corresponding period in 2014) and 85,743 people accessed the online LPA tool (a 66% increase in average page views compared to the previous 6 months). A further success is that our campaign materials continue to be used by practitioners. The law of succession in Northern Ireland is devolved.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Technology

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the value to the economy of the technology sector.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Digital is one of the fastest-growing and most innovative sectors. It currently supports 1.4 million jobs in the UK and according to the DCMS Digital Sector Economic Estimates, published in January 2016, contributed £118.3 billion to the UK economy in 2014 - up 7.2% on the previous year - accounting for 7.3% of the UK economy. Total UK digital exports came to £43 billion in 2013, equalling 8.2 per cent of all UK exports (goods and services).

Cyber Innovation Centre: Cheltenham

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support his Department is providing for the development of a cyber innovation centre in Cheltenham.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Following the Chancellor’s announcement last November, my department has been working with GCHQ and the Office for Cyber Security and Information Assurance to take forward development of the innovation centres. We will ensure that you are kept regularly apprised of progress.

Arts: Calder Valley

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding his Department has allocated to arts groups in Calder Valley in each of the last three years.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Calder Valley has received the following Arts Council funding over the last three years – £378,238 in 2013/14; £355,900 in 2014/15; and £300,298 in 2015/16 (year to date 8 March). This investment from Arts Council England has supported a number of projects, including the Lamplighter Festival, Mytholmroyd Arts Festival and the Routes into Theatre project.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Fringe Benefits

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2016 to Question 26829, what the job titles are of those people in receipt of travel expenses, paid car allowances or subsidised health insurance.

Justin Tomlinson: The information about job titles is not held.   DWP expenses are paid in line with the Civil Service Management Code.

Vocational Guidance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2016 to Question 29565, what extra training has been provided to Jobcentre Plus staff to enable them to participate in the Jobcentre Plus support for schools initiative.

Priti Patel: Comprehensive training for all Jobcentre Plus staff participating in the Jobcentre Support for Schools initiative has been arranged. This includes instruction facilitated by the Careers Development Institute (experts in the careers sector) covering: How careers work in schools is organised, the respective roles of different partners and how schools operate; and   Insights and key skills required for working with groups of learners in a classroom environment.

Vocational Guidance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2016 to Question 29565, what criteria will be applied to determine whether the Jobcentre Plus support for schools initiative should be rolled out more widely.

Priti Patel: To determine the wider roll out of Jobcentre Plus Support for Schools, DWP will undertake an evaluation of the pathfinder activity in Autumn 2016 using programme data and a qualitative research study.   The evaluation criteria will include assessing the demand for JCP support from schools, the level of employer engagement with schools being generated, work experience opportunities being brokered through the programme and schools perceiving the programme to have value in providing a more rounded career guidance offer to pupils - in particular those at highest risk of becoming NEET.

Vocational Guidance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2016 to Question 29565, in which areas the Jobcentre Plus support for schools initiative will be initially rolled out.

Priti Patel: Jobcentre Plus Support for Schools will be rolled out to 10 Jobcentre Plus Districts over the course of the current (15/16) academic year: Birmingham & Solihull   Black Country   Cumbria & Lancashire   Durham & Tees Valley   East London   Essex   Merseyside   North East Yorkshire & the Humber   South Yorkshire   West Yorkshire

Universal Credit: Payments

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the maximum period is for which a back payment can be made on universal credit.

Priti Patel: The maximum period by which a claim can be backdated is one calendar month from the date of claim. Backdating is only possible in exceptional circumstances.

Universal Credit: Correspondence

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many current claimants of universal credit who are affected by changes to work allowance his Department has written to regarding those changes.

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will place in the Library an example of the letter his Department is sending to claimants of universal credit affected by changes to the work allowance.

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information will be provided in his Department's letters to current claimants of universal credit affected by changes to the work allowance.

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's timetable is for writing to current claimants of universal credit affected by changes to the work allowance.

Priti Patel: Since the 8th March, we have been contacting all claimants who are working and reporting earnings, either electronically if they have made a claim via the Universal Credit digital service, or by a letter if they are on the live service.   The notifications claimants receive explain the changes to the work allowance and offer further advice and support.   In addition, from the 11th March a dedicated service line will be in operation to receive any calls from claimants affected by the work allowance changes.   Not all claimants who receive a notification will see a change in their award, but this approach ensures we reach all those who are potentially affected.   Information about changes to the Universal Credit work allowances from April 2016 has been published on gov.uk:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-work-allowances   Copies of the communications claimants receive will be placed in the House Library in due course.   When those affected by the work allowances speak to their work coach and identify a barrier to retaining employment, the work coach has discretion to make an award through the flexible support fund. This might include covering the costs of childcare or travel expenses, for example.   Work Coaches have been reminded of the availability of the Flexible Support Fund for those claimants affected by the changes to the Work Allowances.

Universal Credit

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) number and (b) nature is of (i) open risks to and (ii) open issues with the universal credit programme.

Priti Patel: In accordance with government policy in this area, the Department does not report on specific risks to major programmes.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Packaging

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward measures to incentivise businesses to use recyclable materials in their packaging; and if she will give consideration to whether businesses which choose to use non-recyclable materials when a recyclable alternative is viable should be subject to financial penalties.

Rory Stewart: Developing and securing sustainable end markets for recycled materials is key to delivering a circular economy. Working through the Waste and Resources Action Programme we have developed and delivered a number of activities in support of both the use of recycled materials in new products, and on activities to stimulate its demand. For example, the Plastics Industry Recycling Action Plan has identified key actions that need to take place across the whole supply chain to ensure that recycling plastics packaging can be done sustainably. This includes design for recyclability, collections and sorting, reprocessing and development of sustainable end markets. Another example is the Courtauld Commitment, a voluntary agreement aimed at improving resource efficiency and reducing the carbon and wider environmental impact of the grocery sector. Phase 3 ran from 2013 until 2015. Specifically on packaging, it looked to improve packaging design through the supply chain to maximise recycled content as appropriate, improve recyclability and deliver product protection to reduce food waste, while ensuring there was no increase in the carbon impact of packaging by 2015, from a 2012 baseline. The interim results released in January 2015, showed an approximate 4.5% reduction in carbon impacts of packaging – well ahead of the 2015 target of zero increase. However, while we can encourage design for recyclability, it is ultimately the decision of the business that make the product to decide what packaging materials they use based on a number of functionality requirements. We are making it easier for businesses to adopt eco-design principles by ensuring access to a range of free advice and guidance on packaging design and issues which should be considered when designing packaging.

Floods: Warnings

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people have registered for free flood warnings provided by the Environment Agency; and what steps she has taken to ensure that more people so register.

Rory Stewart: As of 1 March 2016 there were a total of 1,146,146 properties registered to receive flood warnings in England. Environment Agency staff work with communities to prepare them for flooding. They encourage people to fully register for the service by knocking on the doors of residents and businesses who are not registered to receive flood warnings, running local events and attending appropriate shows and seminars to encourage sign-up. Callers to the Floodline call centre are encouraged to register if they are not already on the system. Alongside work to encourage people to ‘opt-in’ to the service, the Environment Agency has automatically added 400,000 mobile phone numbers registered to locations at high risk of flooding provided by the company ‘EE’. They are currently working with 3 other major mobile phone companies to access their numbers too. This approach increases the number of people that the Environment Agency can automatically add to their warning system.

Biodiversity: British Overseas Territories

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department spent on biodiversity conservation in the UK Overseas Territories in each of the last five financial years.

Rory Stewart: Defra has spent a total of £11.6 million on biodiversity conservation in the UK Overseas Territories over the last five financial years as follows: 2015/16 - £2.2 million2014/15 - £1.6 million2013/14 - £2.2 million2012/13 - £2.9 million2011/12 - £2.7 million

Cosmetics: Plastics

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions her Department has held with the cosmetics industry on the voluntary phasing out of micro-plastics in personal care and cosmetic products.

George Eustice: Defra has been working with other countries in the Oslo and Paris Convention for the Protection of the North East Atlantic (OSPAR) to secure the voluntary phasing out of micro-plastics in personal care and cosmetic products. As part of this, discussions have been held with the British Cosmetics Association, the European trade association Cosmetics Europe, and the British Plastics Federation. In response to these discussions, Cosmetics Europe has recommended that micro-beads should not be used in cosmetics. In addition, many UK cosmetics brands have publically committed to removing micro-beads from their products. Discussions between OSPAR and the industry to achieve the phase out are ongoing.

Seas and Oceans: Plastics

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research her Department has funded into the effects of micro-plastics in the marine environment in the last 12 months; what the terms of reference are for such research; what institution is undertaking that research; when such research will report; and if she will make it her policy to publish the results of such research.

George Eustice: Defra has funded a project, undertaken by the University of Plymouth, to study the effects of micro-plastics in the marine environment. The project studied whether chemical pollutants stick to plastic particles, whether marine organisms ingest plastic particles and pass them along the food chain, and whether the plastics themselves, or associated chemical pollutants, could cause harm to those organisms. The final report is currently undergoing peer review and is expected to be published shortly.

Dogs: Imports

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Dogs Trust pilot quarantine on disrupting the illegal importation of puppies under the Pet Travel Scheme.

George Eustice: I welcome the Dogs Trust initiative to pay the quarantine costs of dogs and puppies identified at Dover as being not compliant to enter Great Britain under the EU Pet Travel Scheme. Since 2 December 2015, 108 puppies have been licensed into the quarantine facilities, mainly due to concerns that puppies were under the minimum age for travelling.The Animal and Plant Health Agency will carry out an assessment of the effectiveness of the initiative following its conclusion.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Mayors: Elections

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received in the last 12 months on low turnouts in certain previous elections for Mayors.

Mr Marcus Jones: We have had a number of representations on a range of issues regarding mayoral elections.

Regional Planning and Development: North of England

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2016 to Question 27333, which local authorities he has visited in connection with the Northern Powerhouse.

Greg Clark: Holding answer received on 04 March 2016



As part of my Ministerial duties I visit local authorities across the country, including regular visit in connection with the Northern Powerhouse.

Social Rented Housing: Construction

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many Government-sponsored new social and council houses were built between (a) 1997 and 2010 and (b) 2010 and 2016.

Brandon Lewis: The numbers of dwellings completed by houisng associations and local authorities in England between 1997 and 2015 were as follows:YearHousing associationsLocal authorities199720,970290199819,900240199917,78050200016.68090200114,500160200213,310180200312,820180200416.600130200517,540180200620,660280200722,180250200826,470430200926,990360201022,650790201125,9402,230201225,4401,410201321,590840201423,7801,180201530,2001,640 Statistics on new build housing starts and completions in England, and in each local authority district, are published on the Department's website at:http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building

Combined Authorities: Lancashire

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the application for a Lancashire combined authority; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department has to date not received any applications for a Lancashire Combined Authority. To make such an application an area must, in accordance with the provisoins of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 1999, as amended by the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016, undertake a gvoernance review for the area and also publish a scheme setting out propsals for a Combined Authority. They must also undertake a public consultation on these proposals and provide a summary of these proposals to the Secretary of State.

Social Services: Finance

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of variations in revenue generated by the social care precept on levels of variation in the standard of social care across the UK.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government has made it clear that the variation in estimated revenue generated by the adult social care precept, which is one source of funding for adult social care will be taken into account when publishing the proposed allocations for the additional Better Care Fund funding (£1.5 billion by 2019-20).The proposed allocations will be subject to a public consultation later this year.

Local Government Finance

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what formula his Department used to allocated funding to local authorities from the transitional grant of £150 million per year for two years to mitigate the effects of reductions in revenue support grant.

Mr Marcus Jones: I refer the hon. member to the response I gave to the hon. member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Steve McCabe) on the 22 February, PQ 26616.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's weekly collection support scheme; whether that scheme is still in use; and how many local authorities were awarded funding through that scheme.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department’s Weekly Collection Support Scheme has been a success. It has protected weekly collections of residual waste for 6 million households and demonstrated how councils with weekly collections can deliver cost-effective, convenient waste services for residents while seeing their recycling rates increase. Light-touch monitoring of the scheme has ensured councils are spending money on the projects set out in their bids, and has captured good practice. The 81 local authorities awarded funding through the scheme are expected to monitor and evaluate the performance of their projects and to volunteer to make that data publicly available.While the scheme’s funding was allocated over the course of three years (2012-15), the scheme runs for five years and comes to an end in November 2017.This Government continues to encourage councils to support the wishes of local people about regularity of bin collections and champions frequent and convenient waste collections which protect the environment and public health.

Social Services: Finance

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the potential size of any gap in adult social care funding in 2020.

Mr Marcus Jones: The latest Spending Review sets out a sustainable basis for local authorities to discharge their functions. The Government outlined a £3.5 billion package of support to ensure councils are able to support some of their older and most vulnerable residents.

Litter: Publicity

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much his Department spent on promotional material and publicity for (a) Community Clear Up Day in 2015 and (b) Clean for the Queen in 2016.

Mr Marcus Jones: In March 2015, communities across the country rolled up their sleeves and got behind a nationwide spring clean in order to spruce up our favourite public places. The Department for Communities and Local Government spearheaded this initiative and it was a success with several hundred clear-ups arranged by grassroots activists including community and faith groups, councils and parishes, and schools and sports teams.The Department spent £5,000 on solid, consistent branding for Community Clear Up Day which was clearly government backed, making the campaign recognisable for key stakeholders and the public alike.It also spent £5,000 on promoting Community Clear Up Day through Facebook. Having ownership of social media ensured the Department was able to engage with the public effectively, and be proactive and responsive when necessary in its social communications.In March 2016, the Clean for the Queen campaign, spearheaded by Keep Britain Tidy and backed by organisations including the Women’s Institute, the National Trust and the Campaign to Protect Rural England, was the biggest community-led clean-up the country has ever seen. Following the success of utilising Facebook for Community Clear Up Day, the Department for Communities and Local Government, in order to support the initiative, again spent £5,000 on this method of engaging with stakeholders and local communities.

Communities and Local Government: Pay

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the announcement of 8 July 2013 on introducing a reward scheme for civil servants in his Department, what estimate he has made of the total value of rewards awarded to date.

Brandon Lewis: Of the 40 ideas submitted only 4 were rewarded with vouchers amounting to a total cost of £150.

Ministry of Defence

Islamic State: Military Intervention

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the total number of military personnel supporting operations against Daesh in each month since December 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: The UK is one of over 60 nations contributing to US-led Operation Inherent Resolve, the overarching anti-Daesh global coalition. This global coalition, which includes the US, Arab, European, Asian and Australasian partners, is working with the Government of Iraq and regional neigbours to defeat Daesh in both Iraq and Syria. We cannot comment on the size of contributions made by other nations, but the UK plays an important role both in terms of numbers of personnel supporting the mission and the unique capabilities we contribute.The UK contribution in terms of numbers of personnel has remained relatively constant since December 2015 at around 2,000, of which around 1,000 are deployed across the region.

RAF Akrotiri: Armed Forces

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the number of military personnel based at RAF Akrotiri in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: Staffing numbers at RAF Akrotiri are kept under review and fluctuate in response to operational requirements. The average number of UK Military personnel based at RAF Akrotiri in each of the last 12 months is as follows and includes those temporarily deployed in support of Operation SHADER: March 20151,096April 20151,142May 20151,162June 20151,170July 20151,156August 20151,137September 20151,095October 20151,140November 20151,139December 20151,301January 20161,368February 20161,341

USA: Military Alliances

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions RAF personnel were embedded with US forces during (a) operational deployments and (b) training exercises in each of the last six years; and how many such occasions involved the use of the P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

Penny Mordaunt: The use of the P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft in the US is predominantly limited to those personnel embedded with the US Navy as part of the Seedcorn Initiative. The Seedcorn programme in the US on P8 aircraft started in 2012 with 20 personnel involved and has remained at 20 for each subsequent year (allowing for minor fluctuations during transitory periods). Outside of the Seedcorn Initiative, the total number of RAF personnel embedded with US forces over the past six years is as follows: 2010 - 522011 - 522012 - 482013 - 492014 - 462015 - 472016 – 46 Once personnel are embedded with another nation the RAF retains no command relationship with those personnel. Therefore, information on training exercises undertaken is not held. With respect to operational deployments, I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by the Defence Secretary on 17 December 2015: (Official Report, column 98WS) where he provided data on the UK Service personnel embedded in other nations' armed forces and deployed on or in support of operations. This will be updated in the next Ministry of Defence Annual Report and Accounts. Information specific to RAF personnel is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Information on whether any of these deployments involved the P-8 aircraft is not available. However, I am able to confirm that one of the US embed posts does involve flying the P-8A outside of the Seedcorn Initiative.   



WMS 17 December 2015
(Word Document, 15.97 KB)

Maritime Patrol Aircraft

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the value of the content of the new P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft will be sourced from UK suppliers.

Mr Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the member for Garston and Halewood (Maria Eagle) on 3 December 2015 in response to Question 17838. 



Military Aircraft
(Word Document, 22.17 KB)

Air Force: Guided Weapons

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what current stock of Brimstone missiles are available to the RAF.

Mr Philip Dunne: I am withholding details of stock levels of Brimstone missiles as disclosure would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness, or security of our Armed Forces and allies.

Bulgaria: Military Aid

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 4 March 2016, HCWS581, whether the gift of 40 Land Rovers to Bulgaria counts towards (a) the target two per cent of GDP on defence spending and (b) 0.7 per cent of GNI on Overseas Development Assistance.

Michael Fallon: No and no.

Islamic State: Military Intervention

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2016 to Question 24285, how many times (a) Brimstone missiles, (b) Hellfire missiles and (c) Paveway IV guided bombs were deployed against targets in (i) Iraq and (ii) Syria since 24 January 2016.

Penny Mordaunt: The table below shows the number and type of missiles fired from RAF aircraft in Iraq and Syria between 24 January 2016 and 9 March 2016.MunitionsIraqSyriaBrimstone1414Hellfire78Paveway IV16621

Libya: Military Intervention

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the UK was party to the US collateral damage assessment relating to airstrikes in Libya carried out by US forces operating from RAF Lakenheath; and whether that collateral damage assessment conformed to UK Rules of Engagement and the Targeting Directive.

Michael Fallon: I only grant permission to use UK bases to launch an airstrike after the Ministry of Defence has verified the legality of the operation and where we have assurances that collateral damage would be minimised.

Libya: Military Intervention

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any temporal or other limitations have been placed on his authorisation of the use by the US of RAF Lakenheath as a base for carrying out airstrikes in Libya.

Michael Fallon: My authorisation for the US to use UK bases to launch the airstrike against a Daesh training camp in Libya on 19 February 2016 was granted for that specific operation and for a limited period of time.

Libya: Military Intervention

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he consulted (a) the National Security Council, (b) the Attorney General, (c) the Foreign Secretary and (d) other Cabinet colleagues on the decision to authorise the US to use RAF Lakenheath to launch airstrikes in Libya; and whether any of those bodies or people were required to give approval for that authorisation.

Michael Fallon: I am responsible for authorising the use of UK bases for operations of this nature. There is a long standing convention that whether the Attorney General has or has not advised on a matter it is not disclosed.

RAF Northolt: Safety

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department last reviewed the arrangements at RAF Northolt on the safety of residents living under the flight path and nearby vicinity; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: Military safety regulations mandate that a continual assessment of air safety risks are carried out. This provides not only internal assurance of operating procedures and air safety standards, but considers wider safety aspects such as the risks to individuals' off-station. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) actively manages air safety via this system, across all of its aerodromes, publishing any mitigated or permitted deviations via the individual stations' Defence Aerodrome Manual. For MOD aerodromes that accept commercial/civilian flying activity, these processes have additional Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) oversight and assurance. Commercial operators are required to have similar safety management systems by the CAA, including those operating into RAF Northolt. The MOD and the CAA requires commercial operators to satisfy themselves that RAF Northolt is suitable for the safe operation of their particular aircraft.

HM Treasury

Child Benefit: EU Nationals

Rachel Reeves: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the administration costs of the proposals in which child benefit for EU migrants would be indexed to the country where the child is resident for new claimants.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the savings to the public purse of the proposed reduction of child benefits paid overseas.

Rachel Reeves: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the reduction in the amount of child benefit spend on those EU migrants with a child resident in another country as a result of proposals to index the claims to the country where the child is resident.

Damian Hinds: The Government’s new settlement means that EU nationals whose children live abroad will ultimately receive Child Benefit at a rate that reflects the conditions – including the standard of living and child benefit paid – of the country where their child lives. This will restore fairness to the system. Savings relating to the indexation of Child Benefit will be confirmed once the rates have been finalised.

Environment Protection: Taxation

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue the Exchequer has collected as a result of the Carbon Price Support mechanism in each of the last five years.

Damian Hinds: The latest available information can be found at the following web address: https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutybulletins.aspx

Festivals and Special Occasions: Non-domestic Rates

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 22 September 2015 to Question 10382, what guidance the Valuation Office Agency provides to help organisations in the events industry better understand when liability for business rates will arise.

Mr David Gauke: The Valuation Office Agency has held meetings with the Events Industry Forum and others representing the events industry. Additional written guidance, beyond the Rating Manual, on the factors that determine rateability has been provided through these channels. The Agency encourages direct contact if ratepayers wish to discuss any aspect of a rating assessment.

Revenue and Customs: Electronic Funds Transfer

Steve McCabe: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to modernise the HM Revenue and Customs payment system to allow people to make payments via BACS bank transfers.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) payment systems allow customers to make payments via BACS or Faster Payment bank transfers for the vast majority of taxes and regimes. In 2014/15, HMRC received just under 16 million BACS and Faster Payments, totalling £186 billion, which equates to almost a quarter of all payments made to HMRC in that year. Customers can also pay electronically using HMRC’s Online Payment Service, by Direct Debit or CHAPS.

Festivals and Special Occasions: Non-domestic Rates

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 22 September 2015 to Question 10382, which festival sites have now been assessed for business rates; and to which of those sites business rates will apply.

Mr David Gauke: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has been reviewing the rating of festival sites for business rates. Due to taxpayer confidentiality, we are unable to provide the names of both the sites which have been assessed and, of these, which are now liable for business rates.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he intends to answer the letter dated 12 January 2016 from the Right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms S. Lyons, transferred by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Harriett Baldwin: HMRC officials are looking into this case and the Right hon. Member will receive a reply in due course.

Welfare Tax Credits: Easington

Grahame Morris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of tax credit claimants with a disability in Easington constituency who will be affected by the reduction of the income rise disregard for tax credits to £2,500.

Grahame Morris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of women in Easington constituency who will be affected by the reduction of the income rise disregard for tax credits to £2,500.

Grahame Morris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in Easington constituency who will be affected by the reduction of the income rise disregard for tax credits to £2,500.

Damian Hinds: This information is not held and statistically reliable projections at constituency level could only be provided at disproportionate cost. From April 2016, the income rise disregard – the amount by which a tax credit claimant’s income can increase within a year before their tax credit award is adjusted – will be reduced from £5,000 to £2,500. The only people who will be affected by this will be those who see an increase in their in-year income by more than £2,500. There will be no net cash losers because their income will have increased. In the subsequent tax year, a claimant’s tax credits award will be calculated in the usual way, using their full annual income for the previous year to determine their tax credit entitlement. This means that after the change in the tax year, whether the claimant’s increase in income was above or below the disregard level, their tax credit award for the following year will be adjusted to what it would have been had no disregard existed

Oil: Prices

Craig Whittaker: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the falling price of oil on consumer spending in all sectors of the economy.

Damian Hinds: Cheaper oil and low inflation will support living standards across the country for hardworking families and reduce business costs. The OBR noted in their November 2015 Economic and Fiscal Outlook document, that they expected the fall in oil prices in the second half of 2014 to have supported real income and consumption during 2015.

Motorcycles: Excise Duties

Margaret Ferrier: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will bring forward measures for Vehicle Excise Duty rates on motorcycles to be based on carbon dioxide emissions where such data is available.

Damian Hinds: It has only been since 1 January 2016 that it has been mandatory for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions data to be included as part of the type approval process for motorcycles. Therefore, it has not been possible to base VED rates for motorcycles on CO2 emissions. The current engine capacity based rates offers the most practical and easy-to-understand way to reflect the respective emissions of motorcycles. The Chancellor of the Exchequer keeps all taxes under review as part of the regular Budget process.

Enterprise Zones: Coleraine

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects to announce the designation of the Enterprise Zone status for the Coleraine area.

Greg Hands: The designation of Enterprise Zones in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive. Budget 2014 announced that the government would support the Executive’s pilot Enterprise Zone near Coleraine by offering enhanced capital allowances to investors within that Zone. The government intends to introduce the necessary legislation soon, and is working closely with the Executive on the final administrative steps.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority: Redundancy Pay

Dan Jarvis: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2016 to Question 28993, whether he plans to give Ministerial approval to relax the restrictions of the public sector exit cap on employees of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Greg Hands: The power to relax restrictions on exit payments imposed by the cap will enable decisions to be taken on individual or collective cases where there may be exceptional circumstances that justify the cap being relaxed. This would be subject to scrutiny and approval by the relevant Minister in accordance with directions issued by the Treasury. The relevant Minister for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority would be the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. The Government can confirm that the regulations detailing the relaxation provisions will not come into force before 1 October 2016 and therefore all exits before that date will not be within the scope of the public sector exit payment cap.

Sanitary Products: VAT

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what bids his Department received for funding from the tampon tax fund by the deadline of 22 February 2016; and how such bids are being assessed.

Mr David Gauke: As the Chancellor set out at the Autumn Statement, further donations and recipients will be announced at Budget 2016

Money Laundering

Mr Charles Walker: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the personal and professional connections of the directors of UK-listed banks with domestic and overseas politicians on the potential risk of money laundering; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government is taking concerns about the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements regarding Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) seriously. While addressing corrupt PEPs is an important aspect of global efforts to tackle corruption and money laundering, it is essential that this be done proportionately. The current AML regime is governed by the Money Laundering Regulations 2007, which implement the EU’s Third Money Laundering Directive and are based on the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards. We intend to seek views on the transposition of the EU’s Fourth Money Laundering Directive, which addresses domestic PEPs, in our consultation which will be published in the spring.It is for individual financial institutions to apply a risk-based approach when considering Enhanced Due Diligence measures with regards to PEPs, in accordance with the Regulations and with FATF standards. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the Treasury-appointed supervisor which oversees financial institutions’ implementation of the Regulations.

Money Laundering: EU Law

Mr Charles Walker: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to consider the board members of UK banks as politically exposed persons for the purposes of the Fourth Money Laundering Directive; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government is taking concerns about the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements regarding Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) seriously. While addressing corrupt PEPs is an important aspect of global efforts to tackle corruption and money laundering, it is essential that this be done proportionately. The current AML regime is governed by the Money Laundering Regulations 2007, which implement the EU’s Third Money Laundering Directive and are based on the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards. We intend to seek views on the transposition of the EU’s Fourth Money Laundering Directive, which addresses domestic PEPs, in our consultation which will be published in the spring.It is for individual financial institutions to apply a risk-based approach when considering Enhanced Due Diligence measures with regards to PEPs, in accordance with the Regulations and with FATF standards. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the Treasury-appointed supervisor which oversees financial institutions’ implementation of the Regulations.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Energy Supply: UK Membership of EU

Tom Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on energy security of the UK leaving the EU.

Amber Rudd: When it comes to ensuring our families and businesses have secure, affordable and clean energy supplies they can rely on, the UK is better off being in Europe. The UK is leading the way in shaping EU energy and climate policies that strengthen our energy security, benefit consumers and help us tackle global climate change. Being a leading member of the EU helps improve UK energy security by attracting foreign investment, promoting competition and facilitating efficient and reliable cross-border energy trade. Unless the UK is prepared to be an EU rule-taker, keeping in lock-step with evolving EU energy and low carbon rules without any say on them, being outside the EU would create real and growing risks to energy security, consumer bills, and competitiveness.

Housing: Energy

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will make it her Department's policy to replace the Green Deal with a scheme to improve energy efficiency in able-to-pay households, in addition to the post-2017 Energy Company Obligation and extension to the Warm Home Discount announced as part of the Spending Review.

Andrea Leadsom: We intend to focus our efforts through ECO and the Warm Home Discount more effectively on the fuel poor and continue to deliver on our commitment to insulate 1 million more homes this Parliament. We are also looking at a range of policy levers for driving take up of low carbon heat and energy efficiency in non-fuel poor households. We have commissioned The Bonfield Review to ensure that the current quality and standards framework properly supports and protects consumers; a report will be published in Spring 2016.

Climate Change: Research

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect on future funding of research on (a) climate change and (b) climate change effects and adaptation of the introduction of an anti-lobbying clause in government grant agreements.

Andrea Leadsom: The vast majority of climate change research funded by the Department of Energy and Climate Change is not awarded through grant agreements. As a result, we don’t foresee the introduction of an anti-lobbying clause in government grant agreements having any significant impact on research that we fund on these topics in the future.

Electricity Generation: Finance

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether the next allocation round for Contracts for Difference will be technology neutral.

Andrea Leadsom: The CFD scheme allows a wide range of renewable technologies to compete for contracts. On 18 November 2015, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced the intention to run three more auctions this Parliament, with the first, for the less established group of technologies planned for late 2016.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Annex on a Comprehensive Franco-British Partnership on Civil Nuclear Energy, Franco-British Summit, on 3 March 2016, if she will publish the internal review of the Hinkley Point C project's organisation.

Andrea Leadsom: The organisation of Hinkley Point C is a commercial matter for EDF. In the UK it is for developers to fund, build and operate new nuclear power stations.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Annex on a Comprehensive Franco-British Partnership on Civil Nuclear Energy, Franco-British Summit, on 3 March 2016, what the basis is for the statement that major progress has been made in recent months with a view to confirming the project to build two EPR reactors on the Hinkley Point site.

Andrea Leadsom: The terms of the contractual documentation relating to Hinkley Point C (Contract for Difference, Secretary of State Investors Agreement, Funded Decommissioning Programme (FDP) and related Waste Transfer contracts) between the Government and EDF are in final form.EDF and CGN have confirmed major investment in HPC and are working to rapidly conclude the detailed investment documentation.The Final Investment Decision is a matter for EDF and we understand they will make this shortly.In January we gave planning consent for the National Grid connection to Hinkley Point C.

Electricity Generation: Finance

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether she plans to provide funding for demand-side-response projects in the next Contracts for Difference allocation round.

Andrea Leadsom: No. Demand-side-response projects are not eligible for the CfD. They are supported through the Capacity Market. Details are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/electricity-market-reform-capacity-market

Electricity Generation: Finance

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether she plans to provide funding for energy efficiency projects in the next Contracts for Difference allocation round.

Andrea Leadsom: No. The next CfD allocation round in late 2016, is for ‘less established’ technologies (Pot 2) only. There are a number of schemes operated by central and local government, and by the devolved administrations, which support energy efficiency measures for both domestic and non-domestic consumers. Information on these can be obtained from the Energy Saving Trust: http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Staff

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials in his Department have policy responsibility for deregulation.

Matthew Hancock: A cross cutting team has been established to lead delivery of Governments' commitment to cut a further £10 billion of red tape over this Parliament. The joint team consists of 53 officials from both Cabinet Office and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Department of Health

Wheelchairs: West Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will encourage NHS England and NHS West Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group to provide a response to the letter of 24 September 2015 from the hon. Member for West Lancashire on wheelchair provision in West Lancashire.

Alistair Burt: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 04 March 2016.The correct answer should have been:

Letters to and from the National Health Service NHS England to hon. Members are a matter for NHS England. The Department would expect NHS England, and indeed clinical commissioning groups, to respond promptly and courteously to all letters from hon. Members.

Alistair Burt: Letters to and from the National Health Service NHS England to hon. Members are a matter for NHS England. The Department would expect NHS England, and indeed clinical commissioning groups, to respond promptly and courteously to all letters from hon. Members.

Perinatal Mortality

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to review the definition of stillbirth since January 2014; and whether he has had discussions with his ministerial colleagues on changing the procedure on the registration of stillbirths to allow for the registration of deaths before 24 weeks.

Ben Gummer: The Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953, as amended, provides for the registration of babies born without signs of life after 24 weeks’ gestation, which is the legal age of viability. Parents of babies who are stillborn after 24 weeks’ gestation receive a medical certificate certifying the stillbirth and, upon registration, can register the baby's name and receive a certificate of registration of stillbirth. Parliament supported a change to the stillbirth definition from “after 28 weeks” to “after 24 weeks” in 1992, following a clear consensus from the medical profession at that time that the age at which a foetus should be considered viable should be changed from 28 to 24 weeks. Medical opinion does not currently support reducing the age of viability below 24 weeks of gestation. Therefore, there are no plans to amend the stillbirth definition. We are aware that some parents find it very distressing that they may not register the birth of a baby born before 24 weeks. However, it is important to recognise there would also be parents distressed at the possibility of having to do so. When a baby is born without signs of life before 24 weeks’ gestation, hospitals may issue a local certificate to commemorate the baby's birth. In November 2015, the Government announced a national ambition to halve by 2030 the rates of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths and brain injuries occurring during or soon after birth. The announcement also committed to publishing an annual report to update the public, health professionals, providers and commissioners on the progress we are making towards achieving the ambition.To support the system in achieving this ambition we also announced: ― A £2.24 million capital fund for equipment to improve safety. ― Over £1 million to roll out training programmes to make sure staff have the skills and confidence they need to deliver world-leading safe care. ― £500,000 to develop a new system that can be used consistently across the National Health Service to enable staff to review and learn from every stillbirth and neonatal death.

Blood: Contamination

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the proportion of people affected by contaminated blood likely to (a) be financially advantaged, (b) have their income unchanged and (c) be financially disadvantaged by the Government's compensation proposals.

Ben Gummer: The Government has committed £100 million in additional funding for a reformed payment support scheme for those affected by this tragedy. This is in addition to the current spend and the £25 million already announced in March 2015. This is significantly more than any previous government has been able to provide for those affected by this tragedy. Around 2,400 people in England would be financially advantaged by the Government's proposals to provide new annual payments for those who have received a stage 1 payment from the Skipton Fund, but who have not received a stage 2 payment. The consultation proposes that those receiving annual payments from the Skipton Fund and MFET Ltd (879 people in England) would have their annual payment increased from £14,749 to £15,000 per year. Discretionary payments (currently made by the charities) vary from year to year. Currently, all infected individuals can apply for discretionary support from the three charities. The consultation proposes that going forward, discretionary support for the infected could cover travel and accommodation costs related to ill-health. However, we are seeking views on this in the consultation and are keen to hear people’s views on this and all other proposals being made. Bereaved spouses and partners who currently receive support from the charities are being asked whether they would prefer a lump sum amount or continued access to discretionary help or a choice of either, whatever benefits them most financially.

Tobacco

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department's tobacco control plan will include future innovations in nicotine delivery.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to discuss e-cigarettes and other reduced harm smoking products with tobacco companies.

Jane Ellison: Supporting smokers to quit successfully is an important part of reducing the prevalence of smoking in England today. We know that a large number of smokers have and continue to use nicotine delivery devices to support their quit attempts. We will consult a range of stakeholders to consider how the use of these products fits with overall tobacco policy as we start to develop the new tobacco control plan.

Blood: Contamination

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what range of compensation payments is planned to be available under the Government's proposals for people who have been affected by contaminated blood who undertake individual health assessments.

Jane Ellison: The detail of the potential payment bands can only be decided when decisions on the shape and structure of the new scheme have been made following consultation. It is anticipated that there would likely be a number of broadly defined bands of ill health with different levels of annual payment attached to each. The greatest impact of infection on health would attract the highest annual payment. We intend that the highest payment would be £15,000 per annum. The payments are not compensation but ex-gratia. Under the current scheme those who receive annual payments receive £14,749.

Blood: Contamination

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to publish details of the submissions received to the Government's consultation on the contaminated blood compensation scheme.

Jane Ellison: We will consider the responses to the consultation on “Infected blood: reform of financial and other support” and publish a response and final plans for the reformed scheme. The response will summarise the issues raised by consultees and how these have informed the plans for the reformed scheme. In line with usual practice and the Government principles for conducting consultations, we do not intend to publish details of the individual submissions received to the consultation.

Arthritis

Mr Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the NICE quality standards on rheumatoid arthritis, what steps he has taken to ensure patients with early inflammatory arthritis are referred from their GP to rheumatology services within three days.

Jane Ellison: Quality standards (QS) are important in setting out to patients, the public, commissioners and providers what a high quality service should look like in a particular area of care. Whilst providers and commissioners must have regard to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) QS in planning and delivering services, they do not provide a comprehensive service specification and are not mandatory. The first annual report of the national clinical audit of rheumatoid and early inflammatory arthritis, commissioned on behalf of NHS England by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP), was published on 22 January 2016. This report, which includes data from 1 February 2014 to 30 April 2015, assesses the quality of care by specialist rheumatology services using criteria derived from sources, including the rheumatoid arthritis quality standard, published by the NICE in June 2013. The report identifies that although most services offer prompt educational support and agree targets for treatment with their patients, performance against criteria for referral and assessment could be improved. Since the audit, HQIP has reported that a number of trusts have successfully reconfigured their services in order to improve patient care. More information can be found at the following link: www.hqip.org.uk/national-programmes/a-z-of-nca/arthritis-rheumatoid-and-early-inflammatory

Obesity: Children

Mr Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what account the Government took of arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions in its Childhood Obesity Strategy.

Jane Ellison: Our Childhood Obesity Strategy, which will be launched in the summer, will look at everything that contributes to a child becoming overweight and obese.

Midwives

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with Ministers of the devolved administrations on proposals to end the statutory supervision of midwives.

Ben Gummer: Ministers in the devolved administrations have been briefed by their Chief Nursing Officers who have been closely involved in the discussions on the changes to statutory supervision of midwives. The Department will soon be launching a full public consultation on a Section 60 Order (of the Health Act 1999) on midwifery regulation which includes a proposal to remove statutory midwifery supervision from the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s governing legislation.

Nursing and Midwifery Council

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department's policy is on the abolition of the Nursing and Midwifery Council's statutory Midwifery Committee.

Ben Gummer: In the spring the Department will launch a full public consultation on a Section 60 Order (of the Health Act 1999) on midwifery regulation and this will include consideration as to whether to remove the statutory status of the Midwifery Committee.

Department of Health: Car Allowances

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2016 to Question 26819, what the job titles are of those people in receipt of paid car allowances.

Jane Ellison: NHS England advises us that there are seven post holders in receipt of a car user allowance:- Regional Director- Director of Commissioning Operations- Director of National Stakeholders – Primary Care Support- Managing Partner- Locality Director- Head of Health and Justice- Head of Primary Care Policy and Contracts The Care Quality Commission advises that the Occupational Car User Allowance is paid to eligible staff in the following roles who use their personal vehicle to visit services and commissioners in order to undertake regulatory decision making. ― Children's Services Inspector― Children's Services Team Leader― Clinical Specialist― Controlled Drugs Officer― Corporate Provider Compliance Inspector― Corporate Provider Compliance Manager― Enforcement Advisor― Health and Justice Inspector― Health and Justice Manager― Inspector― Inspection Manager― Integrated Care Manager― Medicines Inspector― Mental Health Act Reviewer― National Safeguarding Advisor― National Pharmacy Manager― Pharmacist Inspector― Pharmacist Specialist― Registration Inspector― Registration Manager One Deputy Chief Inspector also currently receives a car allowance. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence advises that the five employees receiving a car allowance all have the job title of Implementation consultant.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the oral contribution of the Lord Patel of 24 February 2015, column 882HL, if he will place in the Library a copy of all correspondence from September 2014 between the expert panel convened by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and Professor Grifo.

Jane Ellison: The correspondence referred to is a personal email exchange between one expert panel member and Professor Grifo, following the third scientific review of the safety and efficacy of methods to avoid mitochondrial disease in 2014. It would not be appropriate for a copy of this private correspondence to be placed in the Library.

NHS: Finance

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects to publish the consultation proposals to remove the NHS bursary.

Ben Gummer: The publication date for the public consultation has yet to be finalised but we expect the consultation to be published before the end of March.

Health

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many organisations have withdrawn from the Responsibility Deal since May 2015.

Jane Ellison: Two organisations have withdrawn from the Responsibility Deal since May 2015. Information about the Deal and the partners that have signed up to it can be found at: https://responsibilitydeal.dh.gov.uk/

Nurses: Training

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2016 to Question 23092, how the figure of 10,000 for the number of additional training places universities will be able to provide by the end of the current Parliament was calculated.

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2016 to Question 26014, what the baseline year is for the commitment to train 10,000 more nurses, midwives and other allied health professionals over the course of the current Parliament.

Ben Gummer: As announced by the Chancellor in the Spending Review in November 2015, the Government has committed to remove the cap on the number of students studying nursing, midwifery and the allied health professions from 1 August 2017. This will enable universities to offer up to 10,000 new training places for students to start these courses in this Parliament. This reflects estimates on the level of unmet demand for places in the current system where, as an example, for nursing, around two out of three nursing applicants who currently apply for a place are turned down. The Government is working with health and higher education delivery organisations to determine an appropriate baseline as part of implementing the reforms.

NHS: Training

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2016 to Question 26002, on NHS: training, when Health Education England will publish the local plans.

Ben Gummer: Health Education England (HEE) published its HEE commissioning and investment plan for 2016/17 in December 2015 and HEE local team plans will be published by the end of March 2016.

Children: Obesity

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department plans to publish its childhood obesity strategy.

Jane Ellison: The Childhood Obesity Strategy will be launched in the summer.

Department of Health: Empty Property

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what buildings owned by his Department are empty or vacant.

Jane Ellison: The Department own three buildings that are empty or vacant; all are part of the Department’s retained estate. They are the former Harperbury Hospital, the former Little Plumstead Hospital and 100 Churchill Rd, Wisbech. The future use of all sites is subject of active consideration, which is at different stages.

Department of Health: Empty Property

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of office space owned or occupied by (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies is currently unused.

Jane Ellison: The proportion of office space owned or occupied by the Department and its executive agencies which is currently unused is (a) 0% and (b) 1.37 %. The Department’s executive agencies are Public Health England and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. The vacant space is leased by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and will be released on 31 March 2016.

Nurses: Training

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of student nurses who have childcare responsibilities.

Ben Gummer: Information on the proportion of student nurses who have childcare responsibilities is not collected by the Department. The table below shows the total number and percentage of student nurses who were in receipt of a National Health Service bursary and also claimed an allowance in respect to potential childcare responsibilities in 2014/15.  Award ElementNumber of student nursesPercentage of total student nurses1Childcare Allowance6,88111.4%Parent Learning Allowance12,45120.7%Dependents Allowance (Child Element)11,53319.1%Source: NHS Business Services Authority 1Students may be in receipt of one or a combination of all three allowances

General Practitioners

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GP practices have a mental health specialist.

Alistair Burt: This information is not held centrally.

Mental Health Services: Older People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of clinical commissioning groups that commission mental health services specifically for older adults.

Alistair Burt: No estimate has been made of the number and proportion of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) that commission mental health services specifically for older adults. All CCGs will have a cohort of older adults for whom there is mental health services provision. In recent years there has been a trend towards ageless mental health services. However, one of the recommendations in the Mental Health Taskforce report The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health published by NHS England in February this year is that bespoke older adult services should be the preferred model until such time that general adult mental health services can be shown to provide age-appropriate care.

Compulsorily Detained Mental Patients: Children

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many designated health places of safety for under-18s there are in each clinical commissioning group.

Alistair Burt: The Department does not hold information on how many designated health places of safety for under-18s there are in each clinical commissioning group. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has produced a map of the location of designated health-based places of safety in England for people detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act. The CQC has also published a table that breaks this information down by local authority. This information can be found at the following CQC website: http://www.cqc.org.uk/content/map-health-based-places-safety-0#howto

Psychiatry: Training

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effects of changes to training funding on the numbers of child psychotherapists training and qualifying as part of the NHS workforce.

Ben Gummer: In the November 2015 Spending Review, the Government announced changes to how healthcare student places will be funded. The policy intention of the reforms is to change the funding system for pre-registration undergraduate and postgraduate courses in nursing, midwifery and allied health subjects. From 1 August 2017, these courses will be funded through the standard student loans system; and will not receive Health Education England funding for tuition and students or an National Heaslth Service bursary. The changes will apply to new students only. Child Psychotherapists courses are not included in the policy intention for these reforms as they do not attract funding through the NHS Bursary Scheme.

Schools: Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many co-commissioning pilots aimed at improving clear access routes between schools and specialist mental health services have been launched in each (a) year since 2010 and (b) month of 2015-16 to date.

Alistair Burt: On 3 December 2015 the Education Secretary announced 22 pilot areas across the country would develop better joint working arrangements to support timely and appropriate referrals to services and implement a joint training programme for named contacts in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and schools. To take forward these actions, the Department and NHS England are working together to test the named lead approach and to trial a joint training programme for them. The training workshops element of the pilot began in November 2015 and it is expected that all of the workshops will be delivered by the middle of March 2016.

Doctors

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the gap is between the number of available and required trained doctors.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons St George's Medical School is capped at 259 student doctors each year.

Ben Gummer: Health Education England (HEE) is responsible for advising the Government on the total number of medical school places and for commissioning postgraduate medical education. This aims to ensure that we have a National Health Service workforce in the right numbers, with the right skills, values and behaviour to respond to the current and future needs of patients. It takes around 5 years of medical school (undergraduate) and a year of training to become a registered doctor and a further 4 to 11 years of training to specialise in General Practice or hospital specialities. There are currently over 50,000 doctors in training in England according to Health Education England’s Workforce Plan (2015/16) for England. The latest monthly workforce statistics for November 2015 published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre show that there are 106,124 full-time equivalent doctors currently employed in the NHS in England which is an increase of 10,703 (11.2%) since May 2010. The Department and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) share responsibility for determining the medical and dental school undergraduate intakes in England. The Department (via HEE) is responsible for determining overall numbers, and HEFCE has responsibility for the individual distribution to medical and dental schools. Historically places have broadly ben allocated for each institution the same as the previous year, so as to keep stability in recruitment, to help institutions to plan for their intake and in order to meet the national target.

NHS: Finance

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) has been spent on health care in (a) England and (b) the UK in each year since 1997; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of GDP that will be spent on health care over the next five years.

Alistair Burt: Spend as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) is usually reported on a United Kingdom basis. HM Treasury publishes UK health spend figures as a percentage of GDP which are shown below. Note this excludes private health expenditure. Spend on health in UK as % of GDP –1996/97 – 5.0%1997/98 – 5.0%1998/99 – 5.0%1999/00 – 5.0%2000/01 – 5.2%2001/02 – 5.6%2002/03 – 5.8%2003/04 – 6.2%2004/05 – 6.5%2005/06 – 6.7%2006/07 – 6.6%2007/08 – 6.7%2008/09 – 7.2%2009/10 – 7.8%2010/11 – 7.6%2011/12 – 7.4%2012/13 – 7.5%2013/14 – 7.5%2014/15 – 7.4% Source: Table 4.4 HMT, Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2015. The Spending Review settlement, delivered by the Chancellor on 25 November, set the Department’s overall budget for the remaining years of the parliament and the level of funding that will be available to the National Health Service. It set absolute spending totals, not spending as a percentage of GDP, providing certainty for financial planning over the period. The Department has not therefore made forecasts for health spending as a share of GDP for future years. GDP figures are calculated on an economy wide basis, so GDP figures for England are not available to calculate spend on health care in England as a share of English GDP.

Junior Doctors: Conditions of Employment

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the outcome was of his Department's application of the Family Test to the decision to impose a new contract on junior doctors.

Ben Gummer: On the 11 February 2016 my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State made an oral statement, Official Report, columns 1763-1765 in which he announced that he would proceed with the introduction of a new national contract for doctors in training, following advice that there was no realistic prospect of reaching agreement with the British Medical Association. The Secretary of State will carefully consider the draft final terms of such a contract in light of any applicable duties and the Family Test.

General Practitioners

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2016 to Question 29559, what average number of patients were registered at each GP surgery in each of the last 15 years; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The publication General and Personal Medical Services contains the aggregated number of registered patients at 30 September each year, but the average over the course of the year is not held centrally. Tables for each of the last 15 years have been placed in the Library. They provide snap-shot data as at 30 September for that year.

NHS 111

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on which occasions the Care Quality Commission has inspected each provider of NHS 111 since April 2013.

Ben Gummer: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. The CQC is responsible for deciding which providers to inspect and when to inspect them. The CQC has provided the following information: In June 2015, the CQC published the results of three NHS 111 inspection pilots. The NHS 111 services inspected were operated by the Isle of Wight Healthcare Trust, Derbyshire Health United and North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust. In November 2015, the CQC conducted a comprehensive inspection of Derbyshire Health United. This report has not yet been published. In November 2015, it also conducted a comprehensive inspection of Hertfordshire Urgent Care and published its report on 10 March 2016. The service was rated ‘Good’. In November 2015, the CQC conducted a focused inspection of South Central Ambulance Trust’s 111 service and published its report in January 2016. In March 2016, the CQC completed a focussed inspection of South West Ambulance Trust’s 111 service and will publish the report in due course. The remaining providers are scheduled to be inspected in line with the CQC hospital and primary medical services inspection programme during 2016.

Nurses: Training

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many nurses commenced training in each of the last five years.

Ben Gummer: The following table shows the number of pre-registration nurses who commenced training each year since 2010. The 2015/16 actual data is not yet available; the figure given is for planned. Nursing2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152015/16Actual20,09217,74117,21917,56819,14720,033 Source: multi professional education and training budget monitoring returns

Doctors: Training

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many doctors have (a) commenced and (b) finished their training in each of the last five years.

Ben Gummer: The table provides figures on a United Kingdom basis for the number of trainees entering further training at Foundation Year 1 (F1) for the last 5 years. However, it should be noted that not all doctors commence their training in the UK at F1, and an accurate figure for these is not available. 2011/122012/132013/142014/152015/167,3147,2577,3307,6787,478  The General Medical Council (GMC) issue Certificates of Completion of Training (CCT) to doctors who complete a full GMC approved speciality training programme. The UK figures for the last five years available from the GMC are: 200920102011201220136,2116,4066,2226,4296,888

Women and Equalities

Equal Pay

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the gender pay gap for women over 40.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government is committed to full gender equality in the workplace. We will be introducing gender pay gap reporting for companies with at least 250 employees and will provide £500,000 in support to help business calculate, understand and address their gender pay gaps. The Government expects employers to start publishing the required information from April 2017.The Government’s ambition is to unlock the skills, talents and experience of older workers. Working with business, International Women’s Day 2016 saw the Women’s Business Council launching a toolkit to encourage older women to enter and stay on in the workplace. The Women’s Business Council has established a working group on older women workers to address how business can offer practical support to older workers.This builds on action the Government has already taken to ensure an effective framework to help women return to and progress in work. These measures include introducing shared parental leave, extending the right to request flexible working to all employees and increasing support for childcare costs.